Heba al-Ghamari is one among countless mothers in Gaza fighting a daily battle against famine—and often losing. In a place where aid might fall from the sky but never reach the ground, her children’s supper these days is nothing more than water with salt.
A Daily Struggle for Food
In central Gaza, in a crowded kitchen that used to serve soup, Heba al-Ghamari maneuvers among empty pots in a desperate effort to feed her three young children amid a devastating food crisis. Before dawn each day, she queues at public food distribution centers—sometimes returning empty-handed, or with aid that barely suffices for a single meal.
The Pain of Helplessness
During one chaotic distribution, Heba’s hand was badly burned when boiling soup spilled amid a crowd of desperate people. She describes the heartbreak when her youngest child pleads for a piece of bread in the morning—and she has nothing to give. Many nights, her family survives on just water and salt.
No Shelter, No Aid, No Healing
The family lives in a derelict building with no sanitary or medical facilities. Heba’s body is riddled with flea bites, and her child suffers from a foot infection. Yet she must ignore these health needs just to keep trying to feed her children.
Falling Through the Cracks
“There are airdrops,” Heba says bitterly, “but they never reach us.” Her family hasn’t benefitted from any such aid.
A Cry for Fairness
In a plea to the Arab world and the international community, Heba demands equitable distribution of food and water. She calls for an end to the ongoing nightmare and urges, “We want only for the crossings to open and the war to end. We can no longer stand in these long lines for meals that aren’t even enough for our children”.
Worsening Conditions Across Gaza
- The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has declared famine in Gaza City, warning it may spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, potentially affecting over 640,000 people by September.
- Malnutrition and starvation are rising at catastrophic levels. In August alone, 138 deaths—including 25 children—were linked to malnutrition, and more than 130,000 children under five could die by mid-2026 without urgent aid.
- UNRWA warns of a six-fold increase in child malnutrition since March, describing famine as “manufactured and fabricated”.
- Hospitals are overwhelmed: many wards are filled with skeletal, malnourished children and face critical shortages of therapeutic food and medical supplies.
Conclusion
In Gaza’s shattered landscape, Heba al-Ghamari’s story is heartbreaking but representative. Her daily fight to feed her own children with nothing but water and salt echoes the suffering of countless families. As global observers name famine and aid agencies sound alarms, her plea remains simple yet urgent: open the crossings, end the war, and let humanity reach those who’ve been forgotten.
From: alarab