Inside Gaza, where Israel has cut off the electricity

Residents, including a mother of seven, tell Bel Trew of their struggles to afford rising food prices and access clean water

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Food prices are soaring, hospitals have ground to a halt and people are burning rubbish to cook, Palestinian civilians and medics have warned after Israel suspended the entry of goods and electricity into Gaza.

The move has led to a hike in prices of essential foods, as well as fuel, forcing many to ration their meals. The disruption of power is also affecting wastewater treatment plants and a water desalination plant that produces clean water.

Rahma Salem, 38, a mother of seven, said that foodstuffs including meat, chicken and vegetables are disappearing, and what is available – such as potatoes – have nearly quadrupled in price. “How can I feed my children? Even water has become less available after the announcement of cutting off electricity to desalination plants,” she said.

With the lack of cooking gas and now no firewood, she said they have been reduced to burning rubbish, including plastic, to try to cook, which is making her family sick. Last week, Israel was condemned by countries including the UK when it blocked the entry of supplies, including food, medicine and fuel, to the warravaged territory.

It said it was doing so to put pressure on the Hamas militant group to extend the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which ended last weekend. On Sunday, in an echo of the siege it imposed in the earliest days of the war, the Israeli authorities then announced they would also cut off electricity supplies.