While sufficient quantities of food entered the Gaza Strip via Israel between January and July 2024, distribution failures resulted in it not always reaching those in need, according to an Israeli study published on Wednesday.
The study, titled, “Food supplied to Gaza during seven months of the Hamas-Israel war” and published in the Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, found that 478,229 metric tons of food were supplied to Gaza over the seven-month period.
The per capita daily nutritional supply averaged 3,004 kcal (well above the 2,100 kcal/day international standard set by the Sphere Project, a group of aid workers and entities seeking to improve humanitarian aid quality).
The daily supply averaged 98 g of protein (13% of total energy), 61 g of fat (18% of total energy) and 23 mg of iron (below the recommended minimum).
With the exception of February, where a decrease in supply was noted, food deliveries increased steadily over the months studied.
“Even after adjusting for projected food losses, the energy, protein, and fat content of the food met or exceeded the Sphere humanitarian standards for food security and nutrition,” according to the report.
However, distribution was found to have been hindered by logistical obstacles, interference by Hamas, which has diverted or sought to control aid shipments, as well as breakdowns in coordination among humanitarian agencies.
The research team urges health professionals, humanitarian agencies, and international partners to improve coordination, emphasizing that collaborative efforts are critical to improving the food supply for Gaza’s civilian population.