The fear of starvation and thirst sets in for Gaza's residents

There's only one thing on everyone's mind in Gaza right now: how to secure access to food and water.

Even the never-ending bombing has become a fact of life as residents accept that there's no way of determining where the next Israeli air strike will hit.

Since 9 October, Israel has imposed a full siege on Gaza, cutting off food, water, fuel, electricity and other necessities to the besieged enclave. 

After a month of relentless bombing, Palestinians have exhausted the resources they had, as generators fall quiet due to a lack of fuel and even emergency food supplies dry up.

The fear of death from air strikes has become secondary to the unavoidable necessity of eating.

'I can have a small amount of food to keep me going today, but there’s the constant worry of whether I will have food tomorrow'

- Gaza resident 

“Yes, I can have a small amount of food to keep me going today, but there’s the constant worry of whether I will have food tomorrow,” one resident of the Jabalia refugee camp, who asked not to be named, told Middle East Eye.

“I went to get dates, so I could eat one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening,” he added.

Most of those in Gaza are affected by the food shortage, which has particularly impacted the elderly, sick and young children. Supermarkets have been swept clean of all products, with videos shared online showing empty shelves.

Stores and bakeries have been repeatedly bombed by Israel since the start of the war.

“Even mosques, which had water, have been bombed. Water points and solar panels are all gone due to the bombing, too," the Jabalia resident explained, adding: "If we are not bombed to death, we are going to die of starvation. This is a huge fear; I don’t need to explain how painful that would be.

“During these times of crisis we are being forced to drink any water we can find, even if it’s not clean,” he said.

Read more: The fear of starvation and thirst sets in for Gaza's residents