Here is the reason why markets in Gaza are ‘full’ while we starve

Last month, the Israeli government launched a paid campaign on social media, claiming there is no famine in Gaza. It released a video showing food at restaurants and markets full of fruit and vegetables. “There is no famine in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie,” the video says.

It is true that today you can see markets and shops with full shelves in southern Gaza. You can see crates of cucumbers and tomatoes, sacks of flour, cartons of eggs and bottles of oil. There are even cafes and restaurants serving pizza, drinks and improvised desserts made from whatever the market offers.

From a distance, these places look almost ordinary, like an attempt to preserve fragments of normal life. But in reality, these are places far out of reach. Their prices are astronomical, and even those who can affo