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Middle East conflict

Food prices in Gaza surge more than tenfold, UN agency says

According to OCHA, bakeries in central Gaza have been shutting down and re-opening intermittently due to a lack of flour and fuel

DUBAI, November 30. /TASS/. Basic food prices in the Gaza Strip have surged more than ten fold, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report.

"As the hunger crisis deepens across Gaza, the World Food Program (WFP) says prices of basic food items have surged by over 1,000% compared to pre-hostility levels," the report reads.

According to OCHA, bakeries in central Gaza have been shutting down and re-opening intermittently due to a lack of flour and fuel. "Bread is a lifeline for many families in Gaza, as it is often the only food they are able to access," the UN agency noted.

The report points out that "in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, a critical shortage of cooking gas has forced families to rely on burning waste for fuel, which raises the risk of respiratory infections, at a time when health care services are extremely limited."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas military and political wings and free all hostages.

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