Residents and traders say prices have jumped within days while several staples have become difficult to find, prompting families to rush to markets to buy whatever food they can afford before supplies run out.
Families across the enclave say they are purchasing whatever is available while stocks last, fearing that food on shelves today may not be there tomorrow.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said that “the latest escalation is being felt in the most immediate way possible: through shrinking supplies and tightening access at border crossings”.
That anxiety reflects Gaza’s heavy dependence on crossings with the Israeli regime and Egypt, through which nearly all food, fuel, medicine and other basic goods enter by truck.
When those crossings shut or operate at limited capacity, the impact quickly spreads through markets, hospitals and water systems.
The Israeli regime closed Gaza’s crossings on February 28 as Israeli and US forces attacked Iran, halting humanitarian access in and out of Gaza and stopping the evacuation of patients requiring urgent medical treatment.
Israeli authorities later reopened the Karem Abu Salem crossing for what they described as the “gradual entry” of aid, though access has remained restricted.
Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing with Egypt has remained closed, and aid agencies say the volume of assistance entering the territory is far below what is required.
Hanan Balkhy, regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean at the World Health Organization, told Reuters this week that only about 200 trucks per day were entering Gaza, compared with roughly 600 needed to sustain the enclave’s population.
She also said about 18,000 people, including wounded children and patients with chronic illnesses, were still waiting to be evacuated.
Prices spike in local markets
On the ground, Mahmoud said the effects are already visible in local markets as the cost of fresh produce climbs sharply.
A kilogram of tomatoes that sold for about $1.50 a month ago is now nearly $4, while cucumbers and potatoes have also become significantly more expensive.
The rising prices have placed fresh food beyond the reach of many families whose incomes have already collapsed after months of war and displacement.
“People can no longer afford to buy vegetables and fruits due to high prices caused by the war between Israel and Iran,” one shopper told Al Jazeera.
Mahmoud said traders, shop owners and residents are reporting the same pattern: fewer goods arriving, faster sellouts and steady price increases.
He added that essential items such as cooking oil, flour and some canned foods have largely disappeared from shelves in parts of Gaza City.
Meanwhile, the United Nations humanitarian office OCHA said on March 6 that the closure of crossings “in the context of the regional escalation” had already driven up the prices of food and non-food items across Gaza.
The agency said the current pace of truck deliveries is too low to replenish markets, with many goods selling out within days.
This trend marks a reversal from only weeks earlier, when the World Food Program reported some improvement in food availability and declining prices for certain staples.
However, the WFP now says the latest closures at Gaza’s borders have triggered sharp price increases, and that although some crossings have reopened, food costs remain elevated.
Aid system under strain
Separately, humanitarian agencies say the impact extends beyond food markets as essential services come under increasing pressure.
OCHA said the shutdown has forced authorities and aid groups to ration Gaza’s limited fuel supplies, leading humanitarian partners to suspend vehicle-based solid waste collection and reduce water production.
The agency added that contingency plans have been activated across hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
The broader food security situation also remains extremely fragile.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system reported in December that Gaza was no longer in famine conditions after aid access improved during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but it warned that renewed hostilities or halted aid could rapidly reverse those gains.
In a related development, the World Food Program said Gaza’s limited progress could quickly unravel if humanitarian access is not maintained.
The agency said the reopening of Karem Abu Salem might provide some relief, but warned that without reliable humanitarian corridors it may be forced to reduce food rations for large numbers of people.
With access still restricted, families across Gaza face mounting uncertainty over whether essential food supplies can be sustained in the days ahead.