Amidst the ongoing conflict and aid blockade in the Gaza Strip, desperate residents are now resorting to eating sea turtles as one of the few remaining sources of protein.
For 61-year-old Majida Qanan, cooking turtle meat has become a harsh reality. “The children were afraid of the turtle, and we told them it tasted like veal,” she said, stirring a pot filled with chunks of red meat cooked with onions, pepper, tomato, and spices over a wood fire.
Despite initial hesitation, some of the children ate the meat. This marks the third time she has cooked a turtle meal since her family was displaced and forced to live in a tent in Khan Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated sharply after 18 months of intense warfare and an Israeli blockade that has stopped aid from entering since March 2. According to the United Nations, the region is now on the brink of famine, affecting its 2.4 million inhabitants.
While Israel blames Hamas for diverting aid, Hamas denies the claim. Meanwhile, 12 global aid organizations issued a stark warning on Thursday, stating that famine is no longer a risk—it is rapidly taking hold across Gaza.
“There are no open crossings and the markets are empty,” said Qanan. “I bought two small bags of vegetables for 80 shekels ($22), but meat is nowhere to be found.”
Though sea turtles are internationally classified as endangered species, Gazan fishermen now use them for food when they are caught in nets. Qanan prepares the turtle meat by mixing it with flour and vinegar, washing and boiling it in an old metal pot.
Fisherman Abdel Halim Qanan admitted, “We never thought we’d eat a turtle.” He said that when the war caused severe food shortages, turtle meat became the only alternative. “There is no meat, poultry, or vegetables,” he lamented.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirms that Gaza is facing its worst crisis since the war erupted on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack on Israel. Since then, fighting has continued almost non-stop, only pausing briefly during a two-month ceasefire earlier this year and a one-week break in November 2023.
The desperation has grown so intense that people have resorted to eating animal feed, wild grass, and even drinking contaminated water, according to the World Health Organization’s regional director, Hanan Balkhy.
Hamas has accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as a method of warfare by preventing aid deliveries. Fisherman Qanan insists the turtles are slaughtered using Islamic “halal” practices. “If not for this famine, we would never eat it,” he added, “but we need to survive and replace the protein we’ve lost.”
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