Gaza faces severe food shortages as UN bakeries shut down
Deir Al-Balah: The Gaza Strip is facing an escalating food crisis as the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) shuts down all its bakeries due to dwindling supplies, following nearly a month of import restrictions imposed by Israel. The closure of these bakeries comes as markets remain largely empty, and aid agencies warn that food reserves built up during the recent ceasefire are rapidly running out. With the war having destroyed much of Gaza’s food production infrastructure, the territory remains almost entirely dependent on humanitarian aid.
A WFP memo circulated to aid groups on Monday stated that its remaining bakeries can no longer operate due to a severe shortage of flour and other essentials. The UN agency said it would now focus on distributing its remaining stocks through emergency food aid and hot meal programs. Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, confirmed that the WFP is shutting down its last 19 bakeries, after already closing six last month, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without a crucial source of daily bread.
For families in Gaza, the situation is becoming increasingly desperate. Mohammed al-Kurd, a father of 12, described how his children go to bed hungry every night. "We tell them to be patient and that we will bring flour in the morning," he said. "We lie to them and to ourselves."
Israel’s military body overseeing Palestinian affairs, COGAT, claims that over 25,000 trucks carrying 450,000 tons of aid entered Gaza during the recent truce, suggesting that enough food remains for an extended period. However, UN agencies and aid organizations dispute these figures, pointing out that the aid distribution network has been severely disrupted, making it difficult for supplies to reach those in desperate need.
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Fake notes with 'movie shooting purpose only' written on them send police into tizzy in Sirsi
Sirsi (Karnataka), Apr 8 (PTI): The police in Uttar Kannada went into a tizzy on Tuesday after they found fake currency notes of Rs 500 denomination from a house in Dandeli with 'movie shooting purpose only' written on them.
Based on a tip-off, police searched a rented house at Gandhinagar in Dandeli and confiscated the fake currency notes along with a money counting machine.
Arshad Khan, who is said to be from Goa, was staying as a tenant in the house belonging to Noorjan Jhunjuwadkar, police said.
Police were informed after Jhunjuwadkar noticed that Khan was absent from the house for the past one month.
The fake currency notes had the inscription 'Reverse Bank of India' on them, but did not have the signature of the RBI governor, police said.
The notes were printed on a shining paper with only zeros written in the place of the number, and 'movie shooting purpose only' inscribed on them, police said.
A hunt is on to trace Khan to question him about the seizure, they added.
