$1000 for flour, $73 for a dozen eggs; sky-high prices of food in Gaza

Israel has closed the Rafah crossing, which has resulted in a food blockade in Gaza, leaving almost 400,000 Palestinians facing starvation.

A recent report by Maram Humaid and Alia Chghtai of Al Jazeera elaborates that at least 2.15 million people, or 96 per cent of the population, are facing high levels of food shortages, with one in five people facing starvation across the besieged enclave of Gaza.

Israeli airstrikes and forced evacuations have closed food distribution points, kitchens and bakeries.

Additionally, the only functioning bakery in Northern Gaza, supported by the World Food Programme (WFP), also caught fire after an Israeli airstrike.

10-year-old food blogger Renad Attallah has frequently spoken about the shortage of food in Gaza as she makes her recipes with the available ingredients.

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In one of her videos she excitedly examined two sugar packets inside an aid package, an item usually considered unaffordable for her family as it costs 99 Dirhams in the war-torn Gaza.

On top of that, the prices of basic essentials are very high.

Gazans lack basic essential goods, lost their jobs and are dependent upon charity kitchens and aid distributions for food and cash coupons. Their cash savings have run out.

Al Jazeera journalists compiled a summary of the prices of food items as of September.

Prices of essential items have increased to a great extent. Flour, for example, costs $150 for a 25kg (approximately 55-pound) bag in the south and up to $1,000 per bag in the north.

However, a dozen eggs that cost $3.50 before the war now sell at $32 in the South and about $73 in the North.

Non-dairy powdered milk is now being sold in the north for $1 a spoonful or $124 a kilo (2.2 pounds).

Infant formula, which is imperative for children’s growth, is largely unavailable in the North and costs $15 a tin in the South. Meanwhile, an average tin is approximately 350gm (12 ounces).

The price of the biggest source of protein, frozen meat, has increased 17 times and sells at $90 per kg in the North and 41 dollars in the South.

Fresh produce, including cucumbers and tomatoes, are among the most expensive after Israel destroyed most of Gaza’s farms.

Satellite images show the once-fertile regions of Beit Lahiya- known for its juicy strawberries that locals called “red gold”- are now destroyed with vehicle tracks and barrenness.