“We survived on salt and water:” Elderly Palestinian woman describes life under Israeli siege in north Gaza

An elderly Palestinian woman revealed that her family survived on salt during the brutal Israeli military siege of northern Gaza, highlighting the acute food shortage in the enclave.

In Gaza, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, a powerful account from the woman, identified only as Hajjah for her safety, shed light on the extreme hardships faced by civilians under the Israeli siege.

Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat interviewed Hajjah, who described the desperate conditions she and her family endured over the past several weeks as Israeli forces continued their aerial bombardment and ground operations in northern Gaza.

With food and medical supplies nearly depleted, Hajjah recounted how her family relied primarily on salt, and at times, only water from nearby wells.

“How did you survive through the thirty days of the siege?” Shabat asked her. “Honestly, on salt,” she replied. “We would eat only grains of salt. A loaf of bread was very hard to get. For three to four months, we survived on barley and bran.”

When asked how she manages without bedding or blankets during displacement, she replied, “I swear we have none. We only have one mattress.”

She further mentioned that the children sleep on the floor and suffer from the cold at night because we lack blankets and warm bedding for the winter.

In September, the United Nations (UN) has warned about Israel’s deliberate policy of starving Palestinians, who are grappling with famine and disease that are taking their lives at a more rapid pace than Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

The findings of the report highlighted that the destruction of Gaza's food supply chain, agricultural land, ports, and fishing vessels completely cut off all sources of food for Palestinians.

Northern Gaza is also experiencing severe starvation, as no aid carrying essential supplies has been able to enter the enclave since the start of October, according to the United Nations.

The overall Palestinian death toll since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza has reached at least 44,383 with more than 102,929 wounded. Thousands more remain trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings.