The food crisis in the Gaza Strip is worsening, with the World Central Kitchen shutting down some of its community kitchens. Throughout the ongoing genocide, these kitchens, along with local initiatives, became the only reliable source of food for hundreds of thousands of people. Now only three WCK kitchens remain, together serving about 200,000 hot meals a day – down from more than 1.5 million until recently. Since October 2023, Israel has restricted the entry of food into Gaza while systematically destroying the local infrastructure needed to produce and distribute it. The result has been severe shortages, forcing hundreds of thousands of people into near-total dependence on humanitarian aid. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, by October 2025, 455 people, including 151 children, had died from starvation and malnutrition. For many families, these community kitchens were the only way to secure a single meal a day. Now, even that fragile lifeline is disappearing. In March 2025, Israel imposed a total siege on Gaza for more than two months, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid. It later imposed additional restrictions on the work of humanitarian organizations, prompting dozens of aid agencies to warn that they would be unable to continue operating. As a result, in May 2026, the World Central Kitchen began scaling back its operations. The ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza is the result of deliberate Israeli policy. Humanitarian aid, dependent on Israel's changing decisions and interests, cannot replace a functioning system for producing and distributing food. As long as Israel continues to restrict the entry of food, destroy essential infrastructure, and obstruct humanitarian organizations, millions of people will remain trapped in a reality of hunger, deprivation, and dependence. Read the full article >> btselem.org/video/20260715_f…