Gaza. The World Food Program (WFP) has announced that its food stocks in Gaza have been depleted due to Israel's nearly eight-week blockade, cutting off a key food source for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP stated in a release that the last of its supplies were delivered to charity kitchens it supports around Gaza, but these kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Approximately 80 percent of Gaza’s population, which exceeds 2 million, depends primarily on charity kitchens for food, as other sources of supply have been halted under Israel's blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 37 kitchens, which provided around 500,000 meals daily.

It is unclear how many kitchens will remain operational in Gaza once those that rely on WFP supplies close.

Since March 2, Israel has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine, and other essentials into Gaza. Two weeks later, Israel resumed its airstrikes and ground operations, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. The Israeli government claims these actions are intended to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages it still holds. Rights organizations have criticized the blockade as a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel asserts that Gaza has sufficient supplies, pointing to aid delivered during the ceasefire. It accuses Hamas of diverting some of the aid. Aid workers, however, deny significant diversion, stating that the UN carefully monitors distribution. They argue that the aid flow during the ceasefire barely met the massive needs, with only minimal supplies reaching Gaza.

With no new goods entering, many essential food items have vanished from markets, including meat, eggs, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. Prices for remaining goods have surged, making them unaffordable for much of the population. Canned goods have become the primary food source for most families.

Malnutrition is rapidly worsening, with the UN reporting 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, an 80 percent increase from February. Aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to 22,000 children in March, a 70 percent drop from February. These supplements are critical for preventing malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries in Gaza have shut down, and WFP ceased distributing food basics to families due to a lack of supplies. Charity kitchens, now running low on most ingredients, can only serve basic meals like pasta or rice.

World Central Kitchen, a major US-based charity in Gaza that does not rely on WFP supplies, stated it has run out of protein, now serving stews made from canned vegetables. Due to fuel shortages, the charity burns wooden shipping pallets to fuel its stoves. It also runs the only remaining bakery in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita daily.

The WFP has 116,000 tons of food ready for shipment into Gaza, enough to feed 1 million people for four months, but it awaits approval to cross the border.

More than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. 

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