GAZA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Every day, Yousuf Maher, a Palestinian displaced man based in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, rushes to queue up to buy some bread for his kids.

However, the 39-year-old father of four could not buy even a bit of bread for more than a week due to a shortage of flour and food supplies amid a tight blockade imposed by Israel.

"Because of the ongoing war, we have already been suffering from poverty and lack of food, water, and other necessities," the man lamented, adding the situation has been deteriorating day by day.

"I used to buy 25 kilograms of flour for seven U.S. dollars only, but now it costs more than 50 dollars, which is unaffordable for me as I am not working and do not have any (enough) money," Maher complained, saying he can barely keep his family afloat and his children may die of hunger.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the consumer price index in Gaza has sharply increased by 283 percent since October 2023 up to the end of September 2024 due to the war.

On Thursday, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said on social media platform X that, compared to last year, potatoes in southern Gaza can cost up to 5.7 times more, while in northern Gaza up to 66.7 times more.

"Hostilities in Gaza have severely damaged cropland and agricultural infrastructure, making it increasingly difficult for families to access nutritious food. Rising food inflation is impacting everyone there," the UN organization said.

Saleh al-Masri, another displaced Palestinian in Deir al-Balah, said that to not return home with empty hands, he had to buy one loaf of bread for the price of three loaves from the black market.

He blamed the difficulty on the monopolistic traders and relevant authorities who failed in recent months to prevent the theft of aid entering southern Gaza.

Many displaced people in the enclave survive on aid provided by international and relief organizations as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its second year. However, the aid supplies have been frequently stolen by unknown gunmen on the road linking the Kerem Shalom crossing in Rafah to the rest of the strip.

In Gaza, over 1 million people did not receive food rations in August, and the number climbed to more than 1.4 million in September, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said via his X account in early October.

"Over 100,000 metric tons of food supplies are stranded outside Gaza due to access restrictions, insecurity, damaged roads, and the breakdown of law and order," the UN official said.

"Again and again, hunger is spreading in Gaza. It is entirely man-made," Lazzarini said. "Choosing peace as a way forward is a choice of the courageous, it's time," he added. Enditem

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