Food Prepared for the Displaced in Gaza on Firewood Amid Lack of Fuel
(AWP) - Since the beginning of the war in Gaza 10 days ago, cooking food has become increasingly difficult due to the lack of fuel under the Israeli blockade and ongoing bombardment. This has meant people have had to go back to using firewood and wood scraps to cook their meals.
In a street in the city of Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, a commercial kitchen is cooking food using firewood, following the request of young volunteers at a humanitarian initiative aimed at feeding the displaced.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on Monday that the number of displaced Palestinians due to the Israeli attacks has surpassed one million.
Abdullah Abu al-Aasi, the owner of one of the commercial kitchens, said, "This has taken us back 50 or 70 years. My grandfather says that he was using firewood when he started out in the cooking profession.
It is true that food cooked on firewood is good, but it is tiring. Young people here struggle with the smoke and fire. May God help them."
A volunteer in the humanitarian initiative added, "We provide assistance to displaced people in schools. We provide 3,000 to 4,000 meals daily but it is not enough. There is no gas and we work 24 hours a day with firewood. Yesterday I tore down my family's bedroom furniture and used it. God knows our situation."
According to UNRWA’s statement, there are around 600,000 displaced people in Khan Younis and Rafah, in the central regions of Gaza, including 400,000 in UNRWA facilities.
The statement added that this large number "far exceeds our capacity to provide help in any meaningful way, including providing space in our shelters, food, and water."
The agency confirmed that 23 of its facilities across Gaza were damaged by the Israeli aerial raids, stressing that the total number is likely to be higher.
The agency added that there are 127 UNRWA facilities in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, with approximately 170,000 displaced people taking shelter in UNRWA facilities in these areas at the time of the Israeli evacuation order.