FLOUR AND FUEL SHORTAGE FORCES GAZA BAKERIES TO CLOSE AMID ISRAELI BLOCKADE

GAZA, April 2 (Bernama-WAFA) – All bakeries in the Gaza Strip have indefinitely ceased operations as of Tuesday due to a critical shortage of flour and fuel, following a month-long blockade by Israeli forces preventing the entry of these essential supplies into the territory, the Palestine News and Information Agency reported.

Abd al-Nasser al-Ajrami, head of the Gaza Bakery Association, told WAFA that the closure of bakeries in Gaza marks the halt of all bakeries participating in the World Food Programme (WFP).

Al-Ajrami described the current situation as an ongoing hunger war, as bakeries in the southern Gaza Strip had already shut their doors yesterday, with those in central and northern Gaza expected to follow suit starting Tuesday.

The bakery closures, according to al-Ajrami, are a direct result of the continued Israeli blockade on goods, which has led to severe shortages not only of flour and fuel but also of yeast.

He added that the situation is exacerbating the dire living conditions of Gaza's residents, who have already been suffering from the ongoing Israeli aggression and are now also facing a lack of cooking gas.

The Gaza Strip typically consumes 450 tonnes of flour daily, with bakeries covering about 50 per cent of the population's needs.

The region is home to 140 operating bakeries, 70 of which are automated.

A significant number of these bakeries, particularly in northern Gaza, have been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, with damages estimated in the millions of dollars.

-- BERNAMA-WAFA