Video of contaminated food aid in Gaza fuels anger

A post on X showing a chocolate bar with what the poster described as worms and writing “these are the supplies that are entering Gaza — only suitable for animals; most of them are expired, and worms are coming out” has been widely shared and prompted renewed outrage over the quality of humanitarian shipments to the Gaza Strip.

The image and similar social-media footage that were posted this year have fed concerns among Gaza residents that some distributed food is spoiled or infested.

Videos collected over 2024–2025 indicate repeated instances in which families in Gaza received flour, packaged food and other rations that were mouldy, contained insects or showed signs of contamination after long delays or exposure to the elements.

Aid workers and local residents have posted footage of sacks of flour with weevils and mould, and some media outlets have verified at least some such claims locally.

Humanitarian agencies and UN bodies say the problem reflects a broader, systemic crisis: while some convoys have reached Gaza, overall volumes remain insufficient, distributions are chaotic, and long logistics chains, including trucks stalled at crossings, damaged airdrops and stockpiles sitting in warehouses, increase the risk that supplies deteriorate before they reach vulnerable families.

UNICEF and other agencies continue to warn of very high levels of child malnutrition and say access and quality of supplies are persistent concerns.

Sources outside Gaza have also reported that large reserves of emergency food around the world are approaching expiry because shipments have been delayed or cancelled by ‘Israel’.