Life without refrigerators: Gaza residents fight heat and food spoilage

Families living in displacement camps across Gaza face severe hardship as they struggle to preserve food without refrigeration amid prolonged electricity shortages. Malak al-Zaanin, a mother of four living in a tent after being displaced from her home, receives food aid from community kitchens but cannot store leftovers in the scorching heat. Her refrigerator, rendered useless by the lack of electricity caused by Israel's siege, now serves as a storage shelf for aid boxes and supplies.

The humanitarian crisis is compounded by the scarcity of fuel entering Gaza. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that only approximately 1 million litres of diesel entered Gaza in early June 2026, far below the quantity needed to sustain essential services. This fuel shortage directly impacts electricity generation, water systems, and other critical infrastructure, leaving families without the means to preserve perishable goods.

Beyond spoilage from heat, stored food faces additional threats from insects, rodents, and flies that have proliferated in crowded displacement camps with minimal sanitation infrastructure. Families who manage to secure food often watch it deteriorate before their eyes, unable to prevent waste. Some residents resort to purchasing cool bags of water at considerable cost when available, while others rely on water stored in tanks heated by the summer sun. UN agencies have previously warned that the combination of extreme heat, power cuts, and absent refrigeration significantly increases the risk of food-borne illnesses, particularly among vulnerable displaced populations.