At the break of dawn, 10-year-old Youssef al-Najjar races barefoot, clutching a battered pot, to a community kitchen in Gaza City, only to find hundreds of others already queueing.

"People push and shove out of fear of missing their turn. There are little children who fall," said Youssef, his voice barely rising above a whisper.

Thousands of Gazans, including many children, rush to community kitchens every day in the hope of securing food for their families.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened significantly since Israel blocked all aid from entering the territory on March 2, days before resuming its military campaign following the collapse of a ceasefire.

Supplies are dwindling and the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday said it had sent out its "last remaining food stocks" to kitchens.

The weight of responsibility fell on Youssef's shoulders after his father was killed in the war.

He dreams not of toys or games, but of something achingly simple: to sit at a table with his mother and sister, eating........

© Al Monitor