Gaza: With food so scarce in Gaza, people have become reliant on a weed known as common mallow to feed their families. Common mallow, which has medicinal properties and grows freely in harsh, dry soil conditions, has become the main staple since the flow of aid into the enclave was reduced due to the latest Israel-Hamas war.
"All people are starving and there is nothing but this common mallow. It is sold for 80. We pick it and sell it, we pick it and sell it to the people. There is no food, no cooking, no water. It's all starvation," said Um Ayad, a market seller. "Everyone is hungry. We have to feed the children. They keep screaming they want food. We cannot find food. We don't know what to do," he added.
Northern Gaza has been battered by the conflict and residents have little access to clean water, food and medicine.
"We put our lives in danger, but what can we do?: Resident
Um Youssef Awadiyeh, a mother in Jabaliya, explained the danger people put themselves in just to source the wild plant. "There is no distance between us and the tanks. We put our lives in danger, but what can we do? We have to feed our children. We have children who want to eat", she said.
"The situation has become much worse and we were forced to leave and go to the border. There is no distance between us and the tanks. We put our lives in danger, but what can we do? We have to feed our children. We have children who want to eat. Better little than nothing," added Awadiyeh.
"The tank could open fire at us, but despite that, we go there to get (common mallow). These are called land plants. We get common mallow or other plants if someone is sick. We sometimes have infections because of the lack of clean water. So we get some plants that we boil and then drink," said Awadiyeh.
80 per cent of Gaza residents facing hunger
Israel declared war after the deadly October 7, Hamas attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 250 hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. The steadily rising civilian death toll and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza have amplified calls for a cease-fire. Hunger and infectious diseases are spreading and some 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced, with about 1.4 million crowded into the southern city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.
(With inputs from agency)
