DOHA, April 1. /TASS/. All bakeries in the Gaza Strip had to shut down operations on Tuesday due to shortages of flour and fuel, Al Jazeera reported citing Abdel Nasser al-Ajrami, the head of the Bakery Owners Association.
In his words, ten bakeries in the south and nine in the north, supported by the World Food Programme of the United Nations, had to close down amid flour shortages caused by Israel’s blockade. In a comment for Al Jazeera, the official said the total number of closed bakeries has reached 25, as earlier six more stopped baking bread due to fuel shortages.
In this regard, the WFP said on the X social network that Gaza residents continue to receive hot meals, but the organization has "roughly enough food in Gaza to support our operations for a maximum of two weeks."
In mid-January, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement to release the hostages held in Gaza and declare a ceasefire in the enclave, which was brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the US. The three-phase deal took effect on January 19. During the initial 42-day phase, which ended on March 1, Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages. In response, Israel freed over 1,500 Palestinian prisoners. On March 2, Israel suspended humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and closed all checkpoints, citing Hamas’s refusal to accept Witkoff’s plan to continue Gaza ceasefire talks. On March 18, the Israeli military started to carry out strikes on Hamas facilities in Gaza.