Gaza Community Kitchens Still Struggling to Secure Essential Food Supplies Despite Ceasefire

Rows of large metal pots simmer over open wood fires in the central Gaza town of al Zawayda, where cooks stir tomato-based sauces, spices, and canned vegetables to prepare meals that many families now rely on for survival. The community kitchen, run by American Near East Refugee Aid, began operating shortly after the ceasefire started six weeks ago and has become a crucial lifeline for thousands of displaced people.

Anera also runs another kitchen in al Mawasi in southern Gaza. When the BBC visited in early May, supplies were already running dangerously low due to an Israeli blockade that halted the entry of food and goods for months. While the situation has improved slightly with more aid allowed in, essential items are still missing, and nutrition remains limited.

Every day, Anera now provides hot meals to more than twenty thousand people. Team leader Sami Matar says the operation has expanded dramatically. What was once fifteen cooking pots has become as many as one hundred and twenty, and the kitchens now reach over thirty camps, feeding more than four thousand families compared with under one thousand six months ago.

Food access has been a major humanitarian challenge since the war began in October 2023. Severe restrictions at Gaza’s crossings pushed the region toward famine, which was officially confirmed in Gaza City in August. The UN continues to urge Israel to allow more aid in to prevent hunger from spreading further.

Today’s menu is spaghetti with canned vegetables and tomato sauce, a dish greeted eagerly by children lining up to eat. But Sami says they remain limited to rotating just three main meals each week made from rice, pasta or lentils. Fresh vegetables are scarce and vital sources of protein, such as meat and chicken, are still blocked from entering Gaza as part of humanitarian shipments.

Anera has managed to serve only one meal containing meat since the ceasefire, and even that came from tins. The organisation also lacks enough gas canisters, packaging materials and utensils, which would allow them to cook more safely and efficiently.

Transporting the food has improved slightly. Months ago, horses and carts carried pots to the camps. Now, with limited fuel entering Gaza again, a small truck moves meals to waiting families. Still, needs remain enormous. Many of those receiving aid have lost homes, income and loved ones. Some, like Aida Salha from Gaza City, rely entirely on the kitchen’s meals. Bread, she says, arrives only every few days.

Humanitarian groups continue to push for all five border crossings to reopen. They also call for an easing of restrictions that prevent established aid organisations from bringing in their own supplies. According to the UN’s World Food Programme, a quarter of Gaza’s households are surviving on just one meal a day, and while market prices for basics have fallen slightly, most families lack the cash to buy anything.

For people like Abdul Karim Abdul Hadi from Jabalia, who lost his home, cars and a son, survival depends entirely on aid. He describes the situation as catastrophic, with no possessions left to sell and no clear future.

As Gaza enters colder, wetter months, conditions in the camps are worsening. Aid workers say they hear constant fears and frustration from families who see no path back to stability. With the UN Security Council endorsing the Trump administration’s Gaza blueprint this week, many residents are waiting anxiously for next steps.

For Sami and his team, the hope they hear from families is simple. People want safety, a stable place to live and the ability to prepare a warm meal for their children with dignity.