STORY: Palestinians gathered on Monday (July 28) at a soup kitchen in Gaza City, crowding with empty pots in the hopes of receiving some food amid ongoing shortages and a hunger crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

Heba al-Ghamari, a Palestinian mother of three, said she visits multiple soup kitchens every morning to try to secure enough food for her children.

"I am really happy when I feed my child and I wish there were more food, and I wish for the food to be more beneficial than this one," she added.

Al-Ghamari also showed burns on her hands as a result of spills from pots in the overcrowded soup kitchens.

A long-term steady supply of aid is needed to counter the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza, U.N. agencies said on Monday after mounting pressure prompted Israel to ease restrictions in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel carried out an air drop and announced a series of measures over the weekend, including daily humanitarian pauses in three areas of Gaza and new safe corridors for aid convoys, after images of starving children alarmed the world.

On Monday, the Gaza health ministry said at least 14 people had died in the past 24 hours of starvation and malnutrition, bringing the war's death toll from hunger to 147, including 89 children, most in just the last few weeks.

More aid was expected to flow in on Monday. Qatar said in a statement it had sent 49 trucks that arrived in Egypt en route for Gaza. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into Gaza.

Israel cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March in what it said was a means to pressure Hamas into giving up dozens of hostages it still holds, and reopened aid with new restrictions in May.

Israel says it abides by international law but must prevent aid from being diverted by militants, and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins, and displaced nearly the entire population of more than two million.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: PALESTINIANS GATHERING AT A SOUP KITCHEN IN GAZA CITY TO GET FOOD / PALESTINIAN MOTHER OF THREE, HEBA AL-GHAMARI, TALKING ABOUT DAILY STRUGGLE TO GET FOOD

RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT.

SHOWS: GAZA CITY, GAZA (JULY 28, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERING AT A SOUP KITCHEN, HOLDING EMPTY POTS AND WAITING TO RECEIVE FOOD / SOUP KITCHEN VOLUNTEERS POURING SOUP INTO POTS

2. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERING AT SOUP KITCHEN, HOLDING EMPTY POTS

3. VOLUNTEERS POURING SOUP INTO POTS AT SOUP KITCHEN

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN MOTHER OF THREE, HEBA AL-GHAMARI, SAYING:

"I go to the soup kitchen every day at 6:30 a.m. to secure food for my children, and in the end I got burned [referring to burns Ghamari said were from hot soup falling on her because of the crowds]. I filled at the first soup kitchen, but it wasn't enough, a pot like this [pointing off camera] so I filled from the second (soup kitchen) and there’s no bread to take. My son wakes up every day in the morning and tells me 'I want some bread.' When your son says this to you, and you can’t secure bread, isn’t this a regret that remains in your heart?"

5. AL-GHAMARI SHOWING BURNT SPOTS ON HER HANDS

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN MOTHER OF THREE, HEBA AL-GHAMARI, SAYING:

"We are in a famine. I appeal to all Arab nations and the entire world to end this famine. The planes are dropping (aid) and they bring flour from Zikim. We didn't see any small amount of flour or got anything from the aid dropped by planes, but I say God is my suffice and the best disposer of my affairs. I appeal to all Arab nations to stand with us and support us with food and drink and distribute them equally by God's right, not for people to take (aid) and others not."

7. VARIOUS OF SOUP KITCHEN VOLUNTEERS POURING SOUP INTO POTS / PEOPLE GATHERING AT SOUP KITCHEN, HOLDING EMPTY POTS AND WAITING TO RECEIVE FOOD

8. GHAMARI, HOLDING SOUP POT, WALKING WITH HUSBAND AND CHILD

9.(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN MOTHER OF THREE, HEBA AL-GHAMARI, SAYING:

"Does this meet our needs? By God, yesterday we slept having water and salt, and a few days before that we slept having water and salt, sometimes I can't bring food. I put from the salt box for a three-year-old child to eat."

10. AL-GHAMARI, HOLDING POT, WALKING

11. AL-GHAMARI, HOLDING POT, ARRIVING TO HER SHELTER INSIDE CONCRETE BUILDING COVERED WITH HANGED CLOTHES AND SHEETS / AL-GHAMARI PUTTING POT ON THE GROUND

12. VARIOUS OF AL-GHAMARI SITTING WITH CHILDREN EATING SOUP FROM POT

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN MOTHER OF THREE, HEBA AL-GHAMARI, SAYING:

"We are living in this apartment and I wish we were safe, we have mosquitoes from one side and fleas from the other side, my whole body has fleas, I can't get medicine for myself nor go get treatment. I go from soup kitchen to another to provide food for my children instead of getting treatment for myself. My small child who is three years old has pus in his leg, I can't go get him treatment because I have to provide food for him first."

14. VARIOUS OF OF AL-GHAMARI SITTING WITH CHILDREN AS THEY EAT FROM POT / AL-GHAMARI FEEDING YOUNGEST CHILD WITH SPOON

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN MOTHER OF THREE, HEBA AL-GHAMARI, SAYING:

"I am really happy when I feed my child and I wish there were more food, and I wish for the food to be more beneficial than this one, because we are suffering from this food..."

16. AL-GHAMARI FEEDING CHILD / OTHER CHILDREN EATING WITH SPOON FROM POT

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN MOTHER OF THREE, HEBA AL-GHAMARI, SAYING:

"(I wish) for the crossings to open, for the war to end, for this nightmare to end, I feel I am in a nightmare, dreaming. So we want the crossings to open and for food and drinks to be provided. Our children are dying from hunger and psychologically, we have no more energy to stand at soup kitchens and get food. We want for everything to open and the world to end (meaning for all this situation to end)."

18. AL-GHAMARI WASHING HER DAUGHTER HANDS

19. VARIOUS OF AL-GHAMARI AND CHILDREN AT SHELTER WHERE THEY ARE STAYING