Palestinians hoard food in fear of siege

1 hour, 42 minutes ago

RAFAH, Gaza Strip - In a scene repeated across the Gaza Strip, Nivine Abu Shbeke hoarded bags of flour, boxes of vegetables and other supplies ahead of Israel's invasion on Wednesday.

Left without electricity or running water after Israel knocked out Gaza's power plant, Abu Shbeke's extended family of 23 remained hopeful they could wait out the offensive.

"We're worried about how long the food will last," said Abu Shbeke, a 23-year-old mother of three. "The children devour everything."

Throughout Gaza, Palestinians fearing a lengthy siege stockpiled food, water, batteries and candles as their government warned of a humanitarian crisis if Israeli forces remain here.

U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland warned that the situation could rapidly worsen.

"It could very easily develop into a humanitarian crisis if access breaks down completely because there are few places on earth where so many people are dependent on humanitarian assistance as in the Palestinian areas, and in particular Gaza," he said at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The Israeli invasion began early Wednesday, when troops and tanks moved into southern Gaza as part of an effort to force Palestinian militants to release Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped during an attack on an army post Sunday.

In Rafah, just a few hundred yards from where Israeli troops stood massed, there were few supplies. Residents began hoarding groceries the moment they heard of the kidnapping on Sunday.

"You can barely find a candle now in the shops," said an unemployed man who gave his name as Abu Mohammed.

To make matters worse, the run on supplies has sent prices soaring in this impoverished region, which has been badly hit by international economic sanctions against the new Hamas-led government. Residents say potato prices have doubled in recent days, and tomato prices have nearly quadrupled.

Israeli warplanes fired at least nine missiles at Gaza's only power station, cutting electricity to about two-thirds of Gaza's 1.3 million residents, said Walid Sayel, the executive director of Gaza's power company. Israel provides the rest of Gaza's electricity.

The station's three functioning turbines were destroyed and engulfed in enormous flames after the attack. Hours later, white smoke still billowed into the sky, and the power plant's generators were totally black.

Sayel said it will take three to six months and at least $15 million to replace the turbines and restore full electricity to Gaza's residents.

"The situation is critical and requires quick fixes," he said. The company is working to provide power generators to its most needy clients, "but there are limits to providing alternative solutions," he said.

The electricity cut has also affected water supplies, since electricity is needed to run water pumps.

Tawfik al-Mbaid, a Gaza City official, said the power outage cut water supply to the city by 30 percent, forcing the local government to ration water.

The city is using scarce diesel fuel to run the pumping stations and is operating them for only four hours a day instead of the usual 12.

What little water is being pumped is untreated, because the power cut also forced the water treatment station to shut, said Hassan al-Saradi, an official with the Palestinian water authority.

Israeli airstrikes also damaged a pipe running along one of three destroyed bridges, he said, cutting water to some communities in the eastern Gaza Strip.

The Ministry of Information said in a statement that the damage to the water pipes "threatened the lives of citizens and raised the specter of epidemics and health disasters."

David Shearer, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said it was too soon to assess the extent of the damage, but he was concerned about people's inability to pump water from wells and the power outages to refrigerators and freezers.

In his comments, Egeland urged all parties to show restraint to spare average Palestinians from facing further misery.

"Those who (get) really the brunt of all of this are defenseless civilians who have nothing to do with the kidnapping of the soldier and nothing to do with the political conflict," he said.

Abu Shbeke, 23, said her family in Rafah is among the lucky ones.

Her father-in-law, a police officer and the only one in the family with a job, has not been paid in three months because of the government's budget crisis. But three days ago, he got three 11-pound bags of flour, 22 pounds of sugar and a jug of cooking oil as well as rice, beans and powdered milk.

He also bought two more bags of flour along with boxes of vegetables, using the money the family makes from an apartment it rents out and by selling cigarettes, she said.

All that food should feed the large family for about four days, she said.

Abu Shbeke sat in the dark in her living room with her sister-in-law Niama and a group of children for several minutes until a relative brought in a candle.

She said it was not the health conditions that worried her, but the Israeli forces.

"We are really afraid, especially of the planes that fly overhead. They keep the children awake and they cry all night," she said.

One little girl burst in: "We're afraid to die."

Abu Shbeke shot back: "You're not allowed to be afraid to die. It's God's will."

"As for me, I say just give them back the (captured) soldier," she said. "What is it worth for women and children to be forced from their homes and have nowhere to sleep and to suffer for the sake of one soldier? I think they should give him back."

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Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Gaza City and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this article.

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