Economic analyst Ahmed Abu Qamar: The engineering of starvation in Gaza in numbers

Economic analyst Ahmed Abu Qamar: ▪ The engineering of starvation in Gaza in numbers ▪ In just one month, 938 trucks carrying aid disappeared on their way to Gaza, as the number of incoming trucks fell from 2,182 in August 2026 to 1,244 in the past September, a sharp decline of 43%. ▪ This is not just a drop in truck movement, but a decline in supplies on which about 95% of families rely on aid according to UN reports. In contrast, commercial trucks rose during the same period by only 2.5%, from 3,688 to 3,781 trucks, while fuel trucks fell 16.7% from 288 to 240. ▪ Commercial trucks made up about 71.8% of total movement in September, compared with 23.6% for aid and 4.6% for fuel. The broader picture showed that the total number of trucks entering Gaza fell 14.5% during September, from 6,158 to 5,265 trucks. ▪ Here the more serious issue emerges: if aid declines by this scale while commercial trucks rise gradually, then the nature of the flow into Gaza changes from relief supplies aimed at needy families to a market that relies more on commercial goods with fees, levies and high prices. ▪ The entry of commercial goods does not necessarily mean that people are able to buy them, and in an economy where a large percentage of families have lost their sources of income and purchasing power, an increase in commercial goods alongside a reduction in aid can turn into a wider gap between what is available in the market and what people can actually access. ▪ This is what makes the September figures worth reading as signs of what can be described economically as "engineering of starvation," represented by sharply reducing the aid channel while expanding reliance on the commercial market, at a time when humanitarian need remains broad and prices are far higher than pre-war levels. ▪ A 43% drop in aid within one month cannot be read in isolation from the composition of the flow itself; beyond the number of incoming trucks, the issue is what they carry, who they reach, and who can obtain or buy them.

Israeli warships fire heavily northwest of the Gaza Strip

Israeli artillery shelling east of Khan Younis city in southern Gaza Strip

Occupation vehicles fire heavily east of Khan Younis City in the southern Gaza Strip

Occupation vehicles open fire around Wadi Gaza Bridge north of the central governorate

The occupation army launches illumination flares north of Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip

43 prisoners from the Gaza Strip have completed their sentences, and the occupation authorities are still detaining them

Follow-up Committee of the National and Islamic Forces: We pray for the souls of the noble martyrs (killed) who rose during the unjust war waged by the occupation against our people, which continues without interruption despite reaching a ceasefire nearly a year ago under international sponsorship.

Follow-up Committee of the National and Islamic Forces: ▪We pray for the souls of the noble martyrs (killed) who rose during the unjust war waged by the occupation against our people, which continues without interruption despite reaching a ceasefire nearly a year ago under international sponsorship. ▪We condemn the continued and escalating aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the escalating incursions by settlers into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. ▪We strongly reject the claims of the occupation's war leaders and their false allegations, as these claims come in the context of creating justifications for continuing and escalating the war against our people. ▪We affirm that our Palestinian people, with all its factions and forces, does not seek to escalate or prolong the war, but rather seeks to stop it by responding to all mediation efforts. ▪the occupation fabricates justifications and continues violations, and escalates its threats and aggression against our people. ▪We warn against the declared intentions regarding settlement, displacement, and the justification of genocide and killing, which is considered clear evidence of the existence of genocide, war crimes, and military measures that constitute a violation of international and humanitarian law. ▪We call on the United Nations, the countries of the world and its bodies, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice to carry out the responsibilities assigned to them to protect international law and curb the ongoing violations by the occupation. ▪Since last April, we sent letters to brother President Abu Mazen and to all the secretaries-general, in which we called for holding a meeting at the level of the secretaries-general of the factions with the aim of conducting a serious and responsible national dialogue to end the division and implement what was agreed upon in previous national dialogues and understandings, the last of which was the outcomes of the Beijing Agreement. ▪We affirm our support for the convening of the national dialogue meeting to discuss and address all issues of concern to the Palestinian cause and unify the national position and work strategies in confronting the current and future challenges and the occupation's plans and aggression. ▪We congratulate our brothers in the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the movement's jihadist launch, affirming the central role of the Islamic Jihad Movement in the course of national work and strengthening partnership.

Occupation vehicles fire heavily east of Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip