Opinion: In Gaza, bread is life - and now all bakeries are closed

The closure this week of all bakeries in Gaza sets the stage for another devastating wave of starvation across the besieged territory.

Paper signs now hang in bakeries, reading “closed until further notice”. The long lines of people who would typically be queuing outside have disappeared.

In Gaza, bakeries are not just places where bread is made and bought. They are lifelines for the Palestinian people amid Israel’s brutal war and siege - a source of sustenance and survival.

Flour, once an easily accessible commodity, is now rare, with the World Food Programme, which supports 18 bakeries in Gaza, saying its warehouses have run out.

The concerns of Gaza’s population of more than two million people are growing by the hour. Even those who might still have baking supplies at home are running out of options, because the gas required to operate ovens is increasingly scarce.

Read more: In Gaza, bread is life - and now all bakeries are closed by Huda Skaik