UN food agency says its foods stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel’s blockade

The World Food Program says its food stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the U.N. The WFP has been supporting 37 kitchens that produced some 500,000 meals a day. It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.