WANA (Jul 23) – The hungry people of Gaza walk for kilometers in search of food aid—yet instead of nourishment, they are met with Israeli bullets. The Mayor of Gaza states: “This is no longer just a siege—it is a human hunt.”

 

Since March 2, 2025, all border crossings into the Gaza Strip have been closed to humanitarian aid. The total blockade has pushed the local economy and the people’s livelihoods to the brink of collapse.

 

In a land where unemployment exceeds 70%, markets are empty of essential goods, and fuel and water have become luxuries, people walk long distances for a morsel of bread or a sip of water—often at the cost of their lives.

 

In this context, an interview is presented with Dr. Yahya Al-Sarraj, the Mayor of Gaza. What follows is his account of the economic, humanitarian, and living conditions of the besieged population of Gaza.

 

Al-Sarraj states in the interview: “Aid delivery has nearly ceased. People go days without food and are forced to travel long distances under Israeli gunfire just to reach aid distributions. The infrastructure for water, sewage, civil services, and civil defense is on the verge of collapse. Gaza’s economy is crippled by a severe shortage of fuel, basic goods, income, and even the minimum necessities of life.”

Dr. Yahya Al-Sarraj, the Mayor of Gaza. Social media/ WANA News Agency

What is the current status of humanitarian aid under the severe blockade of Gaza’s residents?

 

The current situation is utterly catastrophic. Humanitarian aid deliveries to the people have been effectively halted for around three months. What reaches them now is scattered, insufficient, and distributed in a degrading manner by the Israeli occupiers to the starving and needy.

 

Israel deliberately opens fire on them, killing dozens and injuring hundreds during each attempt. Civil society organizations and tribal elders are not permitted to ensure the safe receipt and distribution of aid, nor are charitable or international organizations allowed to carry out their duties in this regard.

 

Most people in the Gaza Strip do not receive even minimal food supplies, and some go days without anything to eat. We have witnessed the deaths of children, men, and women due to the lack of food.

 

Nearly everyone has lost a significant amount of weight—estimated between 15% to 25% of their body mass—negatively impacting public health, causing extreme emaciation, and weakening immune systems.

 

What is the housing situation for Gaza’s residents? Is there any outlook for the future of Gaza? What about water and access to sanitation

 

Around 80% to 85% of buildings and facilities in the Gaza Strip have been systematically destroyed. The vast majority of people—over two million—have been forced to flee their homes.

 

Many have sought refuge in different areas, and as a result, a large portion of the population now lives in small, inadequate tents, often erected in streets, parks, farmland, and open spaces.

 

Thousands of families currently reside in tents on the Mediterranean coastline, with no safe or sanitary environment—especially for children and women.

 

If the assaults continue, no ceasefire is reached, the crossings remain closed, and the 20-year-long blockade of Gaza is not lifted, the future will be even grimmer. There is a looming fear of disease outbreaks and gradual mass death.

To what extent has hunger escalated in Gaza? Why does Israel target people at food distribution centers?

 

Al-Sarraj stated: Hunger has reached extreme levels. No one receives adequate food, and many survive on only a single small meal per day. Children, over sixty thousand pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers are among the most vulnerable.

 

Every day, we receive pleas from people begging for food for their children—but we are unable to provide anything. This has severely impacted public health, weakened immune systems, and jeopardized children’s growth.

 

The occupying forces deliberately and mercilessly kill the starving as they approach distribution centers. They force people to walk long distances in search of food, only to shoot at them upon arrival.

 

There is no logical justification for such acts. Some believe these actions are intended to humiliate, debase, and kill—pressuring people into forced displacement.

 

The “Humanitarian Gaza” initiative, established by a group of retired Israeli military personnel and businessmen, is tasked with food distribution in Gaza. Its aim is to reduce the UN’s role in aid efforts and place distribution under direct Israeli control. However, due to the shortage of distribution centers and surging demand, thousands gather in overcrowded and unsafe lines—leading to violent clashes.

 

In response, Israeli security forces have used live bullets and even pepper spray, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. The initiative’s funding sources remain unclear, limiting the willingness of organizations and countries to cooperate. Instead of alleviating the humanitarian crisis, this program has worsened insecurity and suffering in Gaza.

What is the water situation?

 

Al-Sarraj responded: In a word, Gaza is both starving and parched. The amount of accessible water is extremely limited, meeting less than 30% of the actual needs of the population. The water quality is also extremely poor—it’s salty and, in some cases, contaminated with microbes.

 

The main desalination plant in Gaza City was destroyed at the beginning of the attacks, and the central plant in Deir al-Balah is no longer functioning properly and is under threat due to its location.

 

With the population swelling to around 1.2 million people in an area less than half the size of the city, pressure on water resources has become intense. Severe fuel shortages mean that only a few wells operate for short periods, and the water supply from the Mekorot pipeline has diminished, further worsening the water crisis.

 

As a result, Gaza is experiencing an extreme water shortage. The per capita daily share is less than five liters—for drinking, cooking, bathing, and other needs. Wells now provide less than 12% of the population’s daily water requirement. Sewage services have almost completely halted. Around 70% of the water and sewage networks have been destroyed.

 

All wastewater treatment plants are non-operational due to damage and lack of fuel, raising concerns about sewage accumulating in stormwater collection basins, where water levels have reportedly risen to over six meters. Large quantities of untreated sewage are now leaking into the sea. People living in tents lack proper sanitation facilities, causing them severe suffering.

The Sea has Turned into a Disaster Zone Due to Sewage Discharge

Following Israeli attacks and the ongoing war, Gaza’s sewage infrastructure has sustained massive damage. Pumping systems have been shut down, leading to sewage spilling into the streets, stormwater reservoirs, and the sea—exacerbating the public health and environmental crisis.

 

These attacks have resulted in the destruction of approximately 175,000 linear meters of sewage pipelines, damage (partial or complete) to eight pumping stations, the destruction of three stormwater basins, and harm to 15,000 meters of rainwater drainage lines. More than 30% of the sewage network has been fully or partially destroyed.

 

Every day, about 22,000 cubic meters of untreated sewage flows into the sea from different parts of Gaza City—totaling over 600,000 cubic meters monthly. This poses a serious threat to the environment and public health.

 

Pollution of the Gaza Sea—the only place of respite and basic living for over 1.2 million people—now endangers the lives of both residents and displaced persons, especially since many rely on seawater for bathing and washing.

 

The Gaza Municipality, along with all 25 municipalities across the Gaza Strip, is doing its utmost to provide services to the population. Since October 2023, they have been working without pause, even though many municipal workers have been directly targeted—around 200 have been martyred.

 

Municipalities have lost about 70% of their water wells, water and sewage networks, and around 80% of the vehicles and machinery used for service provision and infrastructure maintenance.

 

Are there truly no international organizations left distributing food? Are the distribution centers under U.S. and Israeli control?

 

Many international and local humanitarian organizations are still trying to operate and distribute aid, but the occupying forces prevent them from receiving or distributing supplies.

 

The few trucks allowed through the crossings are forced to offload their cargo in open, remote, and dangerous areas—far from the people. At the same time, Israeli forces open fire on those attempting to reach the aid.

 

Even when people succeed in accessing the aid, they are forced to carry it by hand or on their backs, walking distances of 5 to 15 kilometers.

 

What is your view on the talk of airdropping humanitarian aid?

 

“Those who are pushing for airdrops should apply equal pressure to open the land crossings.” A large portion of Gaza consists of dangerous evacuation zones, and the remaining areas are small, overcrowded with refugee tents.

 

There are three scenarios for airdrops:

  • Dropping aid in evacuation zones, where those gathering are then targeted and killed by the army.
  • Dropping aid onto tents already on fire—so the aid is destroyed and the people are killed.
  • Dropping aid into the sea along Gaza’s coast—turning it into food for Mediterranean fish.

 

Thus, pressure must be applied to open land crossings, and the responsibility for aid distribution should be handed over to international organizations, ensuring that food reaches all the people of Gaza without exception.

Are people still receiving salaries from the government?

 

The majority of workers and employees in the Gaza Strip are currently unemployed, as factories, farms, and formal commercial activity have ceased. Unemployment likely affects over 70% of the workforce. Government employees are receiving part of their salaries—irregularly and in small amounts—but they cannot withdraw cash from banks, as all banks in Gaza are closed.

 

People are forced to turn to the black market, where withdrawals are made at exorbitant rates between 30% and 45%. As a result, most families are suffering deeply.

 

What essential goods are still available in the markets, and at what prices?

 

Only a few basic goods are available in limited quantities—and at astronomical prices, sometimes ten times or more than normal. Small amounts of local vegetables, a few limited items like pasta, canned goods, a bit of lentils, white beans, and chickpeas can be found—but all in very small quantities and at high prices.

 

However, bread, flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, olive oil, meat, eggs, poultry, milk, and cheese are virtually nonexistent in the markets.

 

What is Israel’s plan to establish a “humanitarian city” in the south of the Gaza Strip? Will it be implemented?

 

The attempt to create what is being referred to as a “humanitarian city” in the Rafah area is a desperate effort to forcibly displace people. This so-called city is nothing more than a massive, enclosed detention camp and a step toward forced migration. The plan was doomed from the outset and is not expected to succeed.

 

What is the current price of fuel?

 

Fuel is not available to the general public, and if found, it is sold at over $30 to $40 per liter. Some have turned to primitive methods of extracting fuel by burning plastic waste, which carries serious health and environmental risks.

 

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, now ongoing for more than twenty months, the entry of liquefied gas (cooking gas) has almost completely stopped. Israel has allowed in only about 5% of the actual daily requirement. Gaza needs between 300 and 350 tons of gas daily, rising to 400 tons in winter.

 

As a result, people have turned to firewood as the primary alternative, causing its price to soar by up to 1500%. Before the war, one kilogram of firewood cost less than half a shekel—now it sells for 8 shekels (with $1 equaling about 3.3 shekels).

 

Firewood is now extremely difficult to obtain, and only a few vendors offer it in small, expensive quantities. Some people are forced to collect wood near Israeli military zones, risking gunfire and danger.

 

In addition to daily expenses such as water, phone charging, and flashlights, the cost of firewood has become another heavy burden on the population.