Palestinians turn to charity kitchens for food as shortages continue to grip the enclave

(30 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Jabaliya, Northern Gaza Strip – 29 June 2026 1. Various travelling shots showing the destruction and tents 2. Various of woman and child carrying empty pots and walking toward charity kitchen 3. Various of people gathering waiting for food 4. Various of charity kitchen’s workers filling pots with cooked food 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nasser Halawa, a resident of Jabaliya: "The bowls of food I get here are not enough. I have seven family members, all adults. One bowl or two are not enough." 6. People carrying pots filled with cooked food and leaving 7. Various of people waiting for food 8. Various of children sitting on the rubble, holding empty pots 9. Various of people receiving cooked food 10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Majed Al-Balawi, from Jabaliya: ”Here in our neighbourhood, we rely entirely on the soup kitchen. In the north, there's nothing. If it weren't for this soup kitchen, we wouldn't be able to manage. The situation is difficult, prices are high, and there's no money to buy anything. There are goods available, but no cash to purchase them. There's no source of income to help us through this. The situation is generally difficult, and we all wait for the soup kitchen from noon, from the time of the noon prayer. We wait for about half an hour until the food is ready.” 11. Various of people pushing their pots, to get food 12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Randa Al-Radih, charity kitchen staff member: ”We are operating near the yellow line. Quadcopters are constantly in these areas, as are bullets. There have been many injuries, but people want to stay in their original homes. (We are offering) a variety of meals for people in the Al-Fakhoura area to ease some of the suffering people in Gaza are enduring, especially in the north.” 13. Various of people carrying their pots filled with food and leaving STORYLINE: Palestinians crowded around a charity kitchen in northern Gaza on Monday, seeking food as shortages continued to grip the enclave. Dozens of people held out pots and plastic containers, hoping to receive a portion of cooked stew from volunteers at the kitchen in Jabaliya, against a backdrop of widespread destruction. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen despite the resumption of aid deliveries. Earlier this month, the United Nations said humanitarian operations remained "heavily constrained," with civilians facing severe shortages of food, clean water, healthcare and shelter, while access restrictions continued to hamper the distribution of aid. "The bowls of food I get here are not enough. I have seven children—all adults. It is not enough," said Nasser Halawa, a resident of Jabaliya. "We depend on food charities here in the north. People have no money to buy food, even when it is available," said Majed Al-Balawi, a father of three. "We are operating close to the yellow line,' said Randa Al-Radih, who works at the charity kitchen in Al-Fakhoura, Jabaliya. "We are trying to provide a variety of meals for people in the Al-Fakhoura area to ease some of the suffering people in Gaza are enduring," The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory offensive has devastated much of the Gaza Strip and killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its casualty figures. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...