Gaza bakeries warn of shutdown within 48 hours as flour runs out

• Gaza bakeries warn they could shut down within 48 hours as flour and essential baking supplies run low.
• The World Food Programme has cut food assistance to 1.1 million Palestinians from 1.6 million, leaving about 500,000 without monthly aid.
• Daily hot-meal distributions have fallen from 250,000 to 150,000, while household food rations have been halved.

Bakeries in the Gaza strip may be forced to close within 48 hours as dwindling flour stocks threaten bread production, the Gaza Bakery Owners Association warned on Thursday, raising fears of further food shortages as humanitarian assistance is scaled back.

The warning comes as the World Food Programme reduces food distributions because of funding shortages, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians facing cuts to an already limited supply of food. For families displaced by the war and struggling to afford basic necessities, a shutdown of bakeries would eliminate one of their most accessible sources of sustenance.

On Oct. 19, the WFP announced that it was reducing the number of Palestinians receiving food assistance from 1.6 million to 1.1 million, leaving about 500,000 people without monthly aid. Household food rations have also been halved, while daily hot-meal distributions have fallen from 250,000 to 150,000, according to the agency.

The WFP has appealed for $450 million to sustain its operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank through March 2027.

The cuts come as about 1.4 million people in Gaza face acute food insecurity at crisis levels or worse, according to the figures cited in the report. With unemployment exceeding 80%, many families have little income to buy food even when it is available in local markets.

Bread shortages, as a result of the 'Israeli' siege, would compound those pressures, particularly for displaced households relying on humanitarian distributions and community kitchens to meet their daily needs.

The food crisis is unfolding alongside worsening living conditions ahead of winter. Gaza’s Ministry of Social Development warned on Oct. 13 that about 300,000 families lacked adequate shelter, while nearly 90% of tents in use had become worn out and unsuitable for habitation.

The prospect of bakeries closing adds to the strain on families already facing shortages of food, shelter and essential supplies.

The association’s warning reflects the urgency of replenishing flour stocks and securing the supplies needed to keep bakeries operating. With food assistance declining and humanitarian agencies facing funding shortfalls, further disruption to bread production could leave hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with even fewer options for obtaining daily meals.

Read more: 'Israeli' MK blocks Gaza aid trucks in election campaign