A group of nutrition experts recently assembled and analysed data on the quantity of food aid delivered to the Gaza Strip, and compared its nutritional content with population needs, as established by Sphere international humanitarian guidelines. The analysis has been published as a pre-print manuscript (available here).

The analysis used the Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) registry of all food aid delivered to Gaza via air drops and land crossings between January – May 2024.  The content of every truck or airdrop of food, was categorized, quantified, and assessed for nutrient composition using standardised nutrient composition databases.

The researchers summed the energy, protein, fat, and iron content of all shipments per month, and calculated supply per capita per day, according to the size of Gaza’s population.  Finally, they compared the findings to the Sphere standards for food security and nutrition in conflict-affected populations.

Data from January-April 2024 shows the entry of 14,916 trucks conveying 227,854 tons from Kerem-Shalom and Nitsana crossings, and 95 airdrops weighing 3,694 tons of food to the Gaza Strip. The crude mean per capita per day energy supplied was 3,374 kcal, protein was 101 gr (12.1% of energy), fat was 80.6 gr (21.5% of energy), and iron was 25.2 mg. Energy, protein, and fat amounts exceed Sphere recommendations.  Although the amount of iron supplied improved over time, it remained lower than the Sphere standard.

This document presents an up-to-date analysis regarding the food entering Gaza during May 2024. During that month, the amount of food supplied to the Gaza Strip via Kerem-Shalom crossing, airdrops to the south and the newly established JLOT floating pear, amounted to 93,619 tons of food. Erez crossings, and airdrops to the north supplied the northern Gaza Strip with additional 23,923 tons of food. The analysis concludes that the daily per capita supply of energy was 4,198 kcal, protein was 124 gr (11.8% of energy), fat was 71.6 gr (15.4% of energy), and iron was 30.3 mg.

It also concludes that the quantity and quality of food aid delivered to Gaza have steadily improved since January 2024 and supply sufficient energy, protein, and fat for the population’s needs.

Table 1. Daily per capita nutritional value of the food delivered to the Gaza Strip January to May 2024