Photo: Adriel Prastyanto | Unsplash
Mamdouh Abu Dahrooj is one of many workers dedicated to keeping International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)-supported common kitchens running in Deir al-Balah, an area that has become both a refuge and a last resort for thousands of families displaced by conflict. On any given day, six ICRC-supported kitchens in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis serve hot meals to over 19,200 people — that’s more than 3,800 households relying on these meals as their only source of nourishment. In addition to the kitchens, the ICRC supports community baking facilities in 15 shelters across Gaza City. These ovens produce 70,000 loaves of fresh bread every day — a source of sustenance for 12,500 displaced people. Through bulk food distribution and cash-for-work programs, the ICRC helps sustain these kitchens, ensuring they have both the resources and the manpower to continue their life-saving work. It is a challenging operation: massive pots, industrial burners, lines of volunteers working shoulder to shoulder, and queues of residents clutching empty bowls, hoping today is not the day the food runs out. “I’m not here because I’m strong,” he says. “I’m here because I can’t look away — I can’t just watch people suffer. I want to do something, even if it’s small.”
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