In the hands of Palestinian women, pasta transforms into bread. But it isn’t all magic: First, they soak the pasta in water for hours. Then, the dough is kneaded with only spoonfuls instead of cups of flour, which has been harder to come by since the war. After flattening the dough into batches, the dough is baked over an open fire, since there is no more electricity for ovens.
This creative take on food is a product of Israel’s aid blockade since March this year. Food, along with other humanitarian supplies such as medicine, shelter, and fuel, is prohibited from entry into Gaza. Food security experts warned that because of the blockade, Gaza is at a “critical risk of famine.” The famine is evident as children thin to the bone roam the debris-filled streets in search of leftover food, holding steel pots and bowls instead of toys.
In the latest update, at least 29 children and elderly have died because of starvation, and around 14,000 babies could die without the food aid.
Palestinians’ struggle to feed themselves shows Israel’s weaponization of food for their ongoing genocide against Gaza. But by showing their creativity and resourcefulness, food has also become a means of resistance for Palestinians.
Brewing Deprivation
Israeli forces use food as a weapon, blocking its access by preventing the entry of humanitarian aid. Even if entry is possible, Israel’s military campaigns, however, impede the distribution process of the goods. In 2024, for instance, seven World Central Kitchen workers were killed in an Israeli Defense Forces strike after unloading humanitarian food aid in the Deir-Balah warehouse.
Even before the genocidal campaign in Gaza began in 2023, Israel had long controlled Palestine’s food systems. In 2022, more than half of Gaza’s farmland was destroyed by Israeli attacks, making it impossible to cultivate crops in the bombed soils.
Scarcity of goods can be used as a political weapon, according to peace and conflict researcher Peter Wallensteen. Economic commodities can be wielded as tools of power; they can inflict the same amount of harm as military weapons do. Rooted in the supply and demand concept, the prices of goods therefore determine their potential as weapons. In Gaza’s case, flour is a staple for baking bread, and its importance is taken advantage of by Israel as reflected in its price increase and scarcity.
This deliberate deprivation of food and other supplies from civilians has been branded a war crime by international advocacy watchdog Human Rights Watch, citing international humanitarian law which “prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.”
However, when food is used as a weapon of war, people can collectively transform it into an instrument for resistance.
Simmering Solidarity
Prior to its indefinite closure last May 2025, the World Centralsu Kitchen worked on the ground with Palestinian locals and women who led the community kitchens. The group not only distributed meals, but also instilled a “sense of ownership and self-reliance” in the Palestinians.
Community kitchens reflect how food becomes a social movement, according to Haris Malamidis, a researcher from the University of Crete. These collective kitchens operate in a self-organized structure, becoming an expression of solidarity as compared to the passive interactions of soup kitchens, which typically involve a one-way distribution of aid without mutual engagement.
Amid the rubble and barren fields, Palestinian farmers also began to plant seedlings in plastic containers using artificial soil. Farmer Yousef Abu Rabee collected and planted different seeds in a makeshift nursery. Together with other farmers, they nurtured the crops despite threats of destruction. He was killed last 2024 in an Israeli airstrike while distributing seedlings.
Prior to the destruction of land, traditional farming has long been a form of resistance of Palestinians against the longstanding Israeli settler occupation as they assert their ownership of their lands. The farmers operate on a “baladi” food and farming system, where they continue to cultivate local seeds instead of the hybrid seeds from Israel.
Some Palestinians have also resorted to utilizing the Internet and posting online content. Mokhtar Hamdi, the “Camp Chef” from Gaza, shared how he creates food using available ingredients in Gaza, as well as information on the ongoing famine. 16-year-old Yusuf, @reachyusuf on TikTok, also demonstrated how Palestinians create bread in Gaza, using a donated bag of flour that costs $600 when bought.
Both traditional and new forms of resistance highlight how Palestinians continue to defy Israeli rule despite the fear stemming from the ongoing genocide. Despite the threats of death, they fearlessly hold close to their hearts the land and identity that were originally theirs—and this resistance that thumps loudly in their heart is heard all over the world.
Cooking Beyond Borders
Food and resistance can transcend beyond the geographical boundaries of Gaza with the displacement and dispersion of Palestinian communities.
The Little Gaza Kitchen in Quezon City, for instance, is a food business owned by a community of Filipino-Palestinian refugees. They cook and sell authentic Palestinian food which helps preserve their culture and assert their identity in a food landscape where Israel claims Palestinian produce and cuisine as its own. It also serves as an avenue for more people to learn about the worsening situation in Gaza.
More than a need for survival, food has become a symbol of resistance in Gaza. And the different forms of defiance reflect how fighting against Israeli settler occupation has been ingrained in their history and culture. International groups and individuals alike are loudening their call for the lifting of the blockade. For one, the world awaits the entry of aid through the Freedom Flotilla Movement aboard the ship Madleen.
Hopefully, Palestinian mothers will soon be able to bake bread the old way for their children once again, filling their bowls with warmth and strength as they rise to fight for their liberation. ●
First published in the June 10, 2025 print edition of the Collegian.
