Nearly 450 Christian and Muslim families in Gaza received a delivery of fresh vegetables through a partnership between Catholic Near East Welfare Association and the Near East Council of Churches.
“This initiative provided much-needed nutritional support during a period of severe food scarcity in the Gaza Strip,” said Joseph Hazboun, regional director of the CNEWA/Pontifical Mission office in Jerusalem. He said aid blockades since 2 March have depleted essential supplies, and “more than half of the population suffers from food insecurity due to the ongoing blockade, deteriorating living conditions, and the forced displacement of thousands of families.”
The project delivered 22-pound parcels of tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, squash, eggplant, and bell peppers to 444 families. Mr. Hazboun noted that, because of the acute insecurity in Gaza, the parcels were delivered by closed truck to avoid looting.
More than 170 families sheltering at Holy Family Catholic Church and more than 120 families sheltering at St. Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church received the vegetable parcels. Other packages of vegetables were distributed to displaced families residing around both churches, displaced families of employees of the Middle East Council of Churches, and others displaced in the Gaza Strip in an effort to ensure them of “a minimum level of food security,” Mr. Hazboun said.
The parcels were purchased from local markets through a $37,000 grant from CNEWA.
“The fresh vegetables allowed beneficiary families to prepare healthy, nourishing meals for one week, significantly improving their dietary intake and overall well-being,” reported Mr. Hazboun, who noted that the Gaza Strip faces a “catastrophic humanitarian crisis” due to ongoing conflict, blockade, and mass displacement.
Recent U.N. reports document increases in malnutrition, with more than 3,700 children newly admitted for acute malnutrition treatment in March 2025 alone. In addition, the U.N. human rights offices has cited “repeated incidents” of Israeli military attacks on Palestinians seeking food.
In the latest in a series of attacks, dozens of people waiting to get food aid at a Gaza distribution hub were killed by gunfire 1 July, the Associated Press reported.