Photos: Gaza mothers endure endless lines as famine fears persist

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported from Khan Younis in southern Gaza on the daily struggle of displaced mothers trying to secure food for their families as hunger remains widespread. The photo report centers on Niyaha al-Masri, a 35-year-old Palestinian woman from Beit Hanoon, who spends hours in line at a charity kitchen to bring home a meal for her family of 10. The article describes how, on one recent day, she waited about six hours before leaving with rice, lentils and a small portion of chicken, which would be the family’s only meal that day.

The report says the broader food crisis persists despite a ceasefire that was meant to help restore aid flows into Gaza. It cites the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which declared famine in Gaza in August 2025, and later UN comments that conditions had eased somewhat after more aid entered during the ceasefire. Still, Al Jazeera quotes World Food Programme official Shaun Hughes saying the situation remains “extremely serious.”

According to the article, 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.1 million people are experiencing acute food shortages, and about 200,000 are described as being just below famine. The report also notes concern over poor diet quality, with limited access to protein, fresh vegetables and fruit, especially for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women. The piece adds context that many families in tent camps in Khan Younis rely on charity kitchens as a basic lifeline.