All bakeries in central Gaza shut down due to severe supply shortages: UN

World Food Program urges 'safe, secure access of vital humanitarian aid into Gaza'

The UN World Food Program (WFP) on Friday said all the bakeries in central Gaza were forced to shut down due to severe supply shortages amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza. "All bakeries in central Gaza have shut down due to severe supply shortages," the WFP said on X. The WFP said bread, a lifeline for many families and the only food they can access, "is now slipping out of reach" for residents. The UN organization warned that "famine remains a serious risk" for people in Gaza, urging the "safe and secure access of vital humanitarian aid into Gaza." Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, numerous international and UN groups have called on Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid entry into Gaza in order to avoid a famine. Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas in October 2023, so far killing over 44,300 people, most of them women and children, and injuring nearly 105,000. The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions calling the attacks and blocking of humanitarian aid a deliberate attempt to destroy the population. Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.