Gaza's Children Face Renewed Hunger as Famine Threat Looms

Sahar Al-Bardini watches her three young children eat breakfast in a tent at the Al-Zawaida camp in central Gaza, but her relief is short-lived, overshadowed by worry about their next meal. As the sole breadwinner since her husband's death three years ago, Sahar struggles to provide for six-year-old Omar, four-year-old Sama, and three-year-old Mahmoud.

Like many families in Gaza, they are grappling with sharply rising food prices, exacerbated by Israel's prolonged siege. The specter of famine looms again, a terrifying prospect after the family endured severe food and nutrient deficiencies during last year's famine from August to December 2025. Even now, they often manage only one meal a day. Omar and Sama's bodies still bear the physical toll of that period, having taken months to recover their health and weight.

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My biggest fear is that my children will become weak again. I want to see them healthy, but the food they need isn’t easy for me to provide every day.

"My biggest fear is that my children will become weak again. I want to see them healthy, but the food they need isn’t easy for me to provide every day," Sahar told Al Jazeera, her voice heavy with concern. The community kitchens offer basic meals like rice, which stave off starvation but lack the essential nutrients children need for proper growth. Sahar laments the lack of variety, needing eggs, vegetables, fruit, and meat, which her limited means make difficult to procure.

This dire situation unfolds as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issues a stark warning: Gaza faces a severe food emergency that could escalate into another famine. Justin Brady, head of OCHA in Palestine, reported that 67% of Gaza's population is food insecure. Alarmingly, over 200,000 people, approximately 10% of the population, are living in conditions that typically precede a formal famine declaration. Sahar's family, subsisting on food vouchers and assistance that are never enough, represents the harsh reality for many in the besieged territory.

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The meal fills their stomachs, but it doesn’t contain everything a child’s body needs to be properly nourished and regain strength. The children need a more varied diet – they need eggs, vegetables, fruit, meat and other things. I try to provide whatever I can but my means are limited.