“A crisis… a real crisis… if we’re not buried under the rubble, we’re gonna die from starvation…”

That’s what my friend, Rawan, said during a voice call back in January. She was in the north and I was in the middle area, but we both shared the same struggle: We couldn’t find anything to eat except flour and bread.

When the war began, Israel closed the borders and essentials like food and water became scarce. Only a few trucks per day were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, causing a severe scarcity of vital supplies. In compliance with the ongoing directives of the Israel Occupation Forces, Gaza City’s factories shut down and agricultural activities ended. The war also separated Gaza City from the southern and central regions. As a consequence, displaced individuals had no choice but to rely on the supplies remaining in the shops in the central area, with no clear plan for future provisions. The absence of proper oversight and a functional administrative government meant we were waiting for the unknown, knowing that what was coming would not be adequate.

A few months after the war began, an official announcement from the World Health Organization declared that the Gaza Strip, particularly the northern region, had plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis, leading to famine. Extreme scarcity of food supplies led to astronomical price hikes. The sole item available in the markets of Gaza City and the central governorates was flour, which was being sold at exorbitant prices. In Gaza City, the cost of a bag of flour soared from 30-40 shekels ($7.86-$10.40) to 1,000 shekels ($260); in the central governorates, it reached 500 shekels ($130). Extreme shortages, combined with families’ economic hardships, meant restricted access to nourishing food and resources, worsening the problem of childhood malnutrition in the area.

After witnessing the heartbreaking sight of malnourished children everywhere, I decided to join the nutrition’s team in the International Medical Corps and UNICEF. I started my journey as a nutrition counselor in the field and evaluated numerous children in camps and shelters. After assessing them using the method referred to as MUAC (measuring mid upper arm circumference), we discovered that most of them had moderate acute malnutrition, with a significant number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

One of the children who hadn’t been diagnosed before and probably hadn’t gotten any of the supplemental food died from severe acute malnutrition at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in July. Seeing his frail, skeletal body — his face pale yellow, and his eyes wide open — split my soul. I couldn’t bear to look at him, I couldn’t accept the fact that these innocent kids were dying through no fault of their own. They were losing their lives because they didn’t receive the basics they needed to survive.

The fieldwork was exhausting at some point, but there were moments when my workmates and I felt like we were the safety net for all those undernourished children in the Strip. I once had a conversation with a mother of a child we were checking on. She shared with me the reasons behind her child’s moderate acute malnutrition, attributing it solely to their family’s economic struggles. With tears welling up in her eyes, she said, “What can I say to you…We are poor, my daughter. My husband is jobless, we’ve even sold our clothes to buy food for our children, but it’s never enough…it’s never enough, my daughter.”

As I listened to her, my heart was overwhelmed with emotions. The collapsing economy and soaring unemployment rate in a region under prolonged Israeli bombardment has left families hungry and desperate. Even those who are employed don’t receive their full salaries, due to the financial crisis in the Strip. Many of those families face severe famine. Imagine the hardship of a family of seven enduring prolonged periods without food. Then multiply that by the struggle of thousands of families in similar dire circumstances.

I faced a whole new level of emotion when I diagnosed my own little brother, Omar, with severe acute malnutrition. Omar couldn’t consume any of the malnutrition treatment foods like ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) or any supplemental nutritional food due to his celiac disease, which restricts him from taking supplements except for vitamin syrups. Supplemental foods and RUTF contain gluten, which harms the intestines of individuals with celiac disease.

For months, I found great fulfillment in aiding children in need, but when it came to Omar, I always felt so helpless.

Mothers are struggling, too

In August, we began expanding our work to include pregnant and lactating women. Working with women was one of the most rewarding, yet most challenging, experiences I have ever had. I strongly believe that the most vulnerable individuals here in Gaza are women. They need field campaigns, since it is hard for them to access outpatient therapeutic programs or medical services due to the ongoing bombing of all hospitals and clinics in Gaza, the constant evacuation orders and the horror they face in every corner of the Strip. While conducting awareness workshops in some shelters, it became evident how crucial this information was for these women. They longed for the support and guidance that my workmates and I provided to them, since they were not able to access healthcare centers or hospitals, and since the medical care is almost nonexistent.

People must take action

Helping organizations like UNICEF or the International Medical Corps that are dedicated to treating, reducing and preventing malnutrition among children and women is the top priority in times like these. Supporting vulnerable individuals is a responsibility I take to heart. It is my hope that the global community recognizes the importance of this work. Assisting the people in Gaza, even with the smallest gestures, is incredibly meaningful. Even the smallest actions can make a significant impact on those bravely facing adversity, night and day.

Israel-induced famine in the Gaza Strip is a cruel strategy imposed on the people of Gaza. Israel seems to be using this tactic to make the population feel hopeless and miserable; vulnerable groups like children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers suffer the most from famine and malnutrition. Offering support during times of great challenges is a form of meaningful resistance.

This article is co-published with Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.