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UN Agency Closes the Rest of Its Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle under Israeli Blockade

Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP)
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UN Agency Closes the Rest of Its Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle under Israeli Blockade

Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP)

The UN food agency is closing all of its bakeries in the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, as food supplies dwindle after Israel sealed the territory off from all imports nearly a month ago.

Israel, which tightened its blockade and later resumed its offensive in order to pressure Hamas into accepting changes to their ceasefire agreement, said that enough food entered Gaza during the six-week truce to sustain the territory's roughly 2 million Palestinians.

Markets largely emptied weeks ago, and UN. agencies say the supplies they built up during the truce are running out. Gaza is heavily reliant on international aid, because the war has destroyed almost all of its food production capability.

Mohammed al-Kurd, a father of 12, said that his children go to bed without dinner.

“We tell them to be patient and that we will bring flour in the morning,” he said. “We lie to them and to ourselves.”

A World Food Program memo circulated to aid groups on Monday said that it could no longer operate its remaining bakeries, which produce the pita bread on which many rely. The UN agency said that it was prioritizing its remaining stocks to provide emergency food aid and expand hot meal distribution. WFP spokespeople didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that the WFP was closing its remaining 19 bakeries after shuttering six others last month. She said that hundreds of thousands of people relied on them.

The Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian affairs, known as COGAT, said that more than 25,000 trucks entered Gaza during the ceasefire, carrying nearly 450,000 tons of aid. It said that amount represented around a third of what has entered during the entire war.

“There is enough food for a long period of time, if Hamas lets the civilians have it,” it said.

UN agencies and aid groups say that they struggled to bring in and distribute aid before the ceasefire took hold in January. Their estimates for how much aid actually reached people in Gaza were consistently lower than COGAT’s, which were based on how much entered through border crossings.

The war began when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Hamas is still holding 59 captives — 24 of whom are believed to be alive — after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel's offensive has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, including hundreds killed in strikes since the ceasefire ended, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say whether those killed in the war are civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Israel sealed off Gaza from all aid at the start of the war, but later relented under pressure from Washington. US President Donald Trump's administration, which took credit for helping to broker the ceasefire, has expressed full support for Israel's actions, including its decision to end the truce.

Israel has demanded that Hamas release several hostages before commencing talks on ending the war, negotiations that were supposed to have begun in early February. It has also insisted that Hamas disarm and leave Gaza, conditions that weren't part of the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas has called for implementing the agreement, in which the remaining hostages would be released in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli pullout.

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Arab World

Blast at Syrian Gas Pipeline, Power Stations Hit

The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)
The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)
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Blast at Syrian Gas Pipeline, Power Stations Hit

The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)
The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)

A blast at a gas pipeline near the Syrian capital Damascus late Wednesday sparked a massive fire and put three power stations out of service.

It came two days after an explosion caused by sabotage at a gas pipeline in the country's east.

The official SANA news agency first reported Wednesday's explosion saying a "detonation was heard in Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus".

A government source told AFP it was an "explosion in a gas pipeline near the Tishrin power plant" that sparked a "huge fire".

Tishrin is a 630-megawatt hydropower project located on the Euphrates River.

The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement.

"The shutdown of these plants will lead to a decrease in the amount of electricity produced and a temporary increase in rationing hours," it said.

The explosions come at a time of rising protests over rising fuel prices, which authorities blame on the regional war with Iran.

Syria's oil, gas and electricity production have been heavily affected by the civil war that ravaged the country between 2011 and 2024.

Syria used to produce 30 million cubic meters of gas per day for electricity generation, compared to only 8.5 million now.

The domestic gas needs are estimated at between 22 and 25 million cubic meters per day, according to Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir.

Arab World

Attack on Bus in Syria Kills Seven

This handout photograph taken and released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian forensic investigators inspecting a civilian vehicle targeted on the Masyaf bridge in Homs province north of the capital Damascus on September 30, 2026. (SANA/AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian forensic investigators inspecting a civilian vehicle targeted on the Masyaf bridge in Homs province north of the capital Damascus on September 30, 2026. (SANA/AFP)
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Attack on Bus in Syria Kills Seven

This handout photograph taken and released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian forensic investigators inspecting a civilian vehicle targeted on the Masyaf bridge in Homs province north of the capital Damascus on September 30, 2026. (SANA/AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian forensic investigators inspecting a civilian vehicle targeted on the Masyaf bridge in Homs province north of the capital Damascus on September 30, 2026. (SANA/AFP)

A shooting attack on a bus in central Syria on Wednesday killed seven people and left four others wounded, state media reported.

The perpetrators of the shooting in Homs province have not yet been identified, the official SANA news agency added.

A security source who requested anonymity had initially given AFP a preliminary toll of five dead.

Among the bus passengers were "engineers and workers from a private company" and an employee of the Syrian Electricity Company, who is among the victims, the security source said.

Syrian authorities have been facing major security challenges since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime at the end of 2024, with Damascus and its outskirts hit by several attacks.

Shortly before the bus attack, state media reported an explosion at a gas pipeline near one of the country's main power plants, close to Damascus, two days after the sabotage of another pipeline in eastern Syria.

On August 22, a bomb attack on a bus carrying members of the Syrian internal security forces near Damascus injured several people.

In early August, a bus explosion in Jaramana, a town near Damascus, left 14 people wounded.

In July, two explosions occurred near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during an official visit, although he was not there at the time.

Those blasts killed one person and wounded 36. The authorities later announced the arrest of those responsible, saying they belonged to the ISIS group.

Arab World

Joy Mixed with Fear as US Forces Quit Iraq Leaving Potential Security Vacuum

A man gestures in front of a display of the Iraqi flag while celebrating the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)
A man gestures in front of a display of the Iraqi flag while celebrating the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)
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Joy Mixed with Fear as US Forces Quit Iraq Leaving Potential Security Vacuum

A man gestures in front of a display of the Iraqi flag while celebrating the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)
A man gestures in front of a display of the Iraqi flag while celebrating the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)

Iraqis celebrated the departure of US forces after more than two decades of war on Wednesday, though many feared that any security vacuum could increase the power of Iran-backed armed factions or provide an opening for the return of the ISIS group.

The withdrawal of the final troops, mainly from an airbase in Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, ended the biggest US war of the century, which brought widespread devastation and chaos from which Iraq has yet to fully emerge.

Iran, which has entrenched its influence in Iraq through allied armed groups and is determined to drive all US forces out of the Middle East, views the US pullout as a triumph for its "axis of resistance" of allied armed groups across the region.

Iraqi troops paraded in vehicles through the streets of Baghdad and the city of Najaf to mark the pullout.

The withdrawal "fills our hearts with joy," said Baghdad resident Ahmed Salah, who said he felt reborn at the age of 70. But he ‌also said it ‌was now time for powerful armed factions to surrender their weapons, "and let the government be the one responsible ‌to protect ⁠me and ⁠you on the ground, sky and water."

The pullout was agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried out by Donald Trump's administration even as it wages war against Iran next door.

Supporters of Iran-aligned armed factions gather for a rally celebrating the withdrawal of forces of the US-led coalition against the ISIS from Iraq, in Baghdad on September 30, 2026. (AFP)

US forces invaded to topple Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein in 2003, triggering years of upheaval and chaos. The Americans initially left at the end of 2011 but came back less than three years later to assist Iraqi forces after ISIS fighters seized a third of Iraq and imposed violent rule.

Trump said that the United States leaves Iraq with "wonderful" Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, saying in a Truth Social post that he would "hopefully be able to handle things very well."

More than 4,500 US troops died in Iraq, around twice as many as in the parallel war in Afghanistan. The Iraq Body Count project says ⁠more than 200,000 Iraqi civilians were killed.

The Pentagon said the United States and its coalition partners formally concluded "Operation ‌Inherent Resolve" and Washington would continue to provide targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners.

The Iraqis ‌are expected to lead the effort to secure the country, an ally of both Washington and Tehran, and keep the remnants of ISIS suppressed.

“The end of ‌the international coalition’s mission does not mean the end of our battle against terrorism, but rather Iraq’s transition to a phase in which it ‌assumes full responsibility for its security and stability," said al-Zaidi in a statement.

One of supporters of Iran-aligned armed factions holds up a portrait of Qasem Soleimani, the slain commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in early 2020, during a rally celebrating the withdrawal of forces of the US-led coalition against the ISIS from Iraq, in Baghdad on September 30, 2026. (AFP)

'SECURITY VACUUMS CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS'

While the departure of US forces is broadly popular among Iraqis, some worry that security forces trained and funded by the United States still can't protect the country.

"The lesson from the past two decades is that security vacuums can be extremely dangerous," said Jassim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi analyst who advises the security forces.

Adil Salman, 45, a high school English teacher, said Iraqis "should not rush to celebrate" the ‌withdrawal.

"Armed factions still operate outside the state's control and ISIS still has not disappeared," he said. "I'm concerned that the US departure could lead to a new period of instability. In the end, people will judge this ⁠decision by one thing: whether security remains ⁠stable in the coming years."

Hundreds of supporters of pro-Iranian Iraqi armed groups gathered in Baghdad to celebrate the pullout, chanting "Death to America".

They carried portraits of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba, who succeeded him, and top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike on his convoy in Baghdad in 2020.

With US forces present alongside armed groups allied to Iran, Iraq has been caught up in this year's war.

Of the 18 US service members listed as killed since Trump launched "Operation Epic Fury" alongside Israel in February, seven died in Iraq. The last was an army sergeant who died during the controlled detonation of a drone at a base near Erbil in July.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi attend an official ceremony marking Sovereignty Day and the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office/Handout via Reuters)

The withdrawal raises "the possibility that Iran's proxies will feel increasingly empowered in the absence of a Western military presence. These groups may attempt to expand their role in shaping state policies and consolidating their presence within key institutions," said Baghdad-based political analyst Ahmed Younis.

Some Iraqi security officials say the US pullout also risks giving new life to ISIS fighters, who, despite their defeat nearly a decade ago, retain a sleeper cell network.

The last time the US withdrew, the Iraqi army proved no match for ISIS: soldiers took off their uniforms and fled when the group captured Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, in 2014.

"The most important question now is whether Iraq's security institutions have prepared a viable Plan B for the post-coalition phase," said retired Iraqi Army General Mohammed al-Jubouri, who led a brigade in the war against ISIS.