"I need bread to feed my children." Two bakeries forced to close in central Gaza

 Two of central Gaza’s main bakeries have been shut down for three days, according to CNN footage and bakery workers, as humanitarian agencies warned of blocked access to the Palestinian enclave.

Al-Banna Bakery and Zadna Bakery in Deir al-Balah, both supported by the WFP, have halted operations due to a lack of flour and fuel, bakery workers and residents told CNN. CNN video from the bakeries shows bare conveyor belts and shelves emptied of stock. Parents in the area said they cannot find enough food to feed their children, while local staff trying to support their families are losing wages.

Ahmad Abed, a Palestinian staffer at Al-Banna Bakery in central Gaza, told CNN that at least 50 employees rely on wages from the facility, which was forced to close down amid flour and fuel shortages. 

CNN

“I am the head of a family of six. The day I work, I can feed my family. The day I don’t, we don’t eat,” said Ahmad Abed, an employee at Al-Banna Bakery. “People are chasing flour, and we go to bakeries searching for where bread is available.”

Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network, told CNN that the depletion of flour and other production materials has led to the closure of essential bakeries that produce bread.

Bread remains the number one staple food for Palestinians and has become a crucial basic necessity since the war started just over a year ago.

Haitham Badri, a father in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, said he cannot find enough flour to make bread for his children. 

CNN

We’ve been suffering for 4 days, searching for bakeries to get some bread for ourselves and our children, but we find none,” Haitham Badr, a father in central Gaza, told CNN. “I need bread to feed my children, but there’s no bread. There’s nothing worse than this.”