Gaza families eat sea turtles to survive amid war and famine

Facing starvation under siege, Gazans turn to sea turtles as a rare protein source while aid remains blocked and markets lie empty.

Palestinians at the Bureij Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip try to survive in makeshift tents amid the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli attacks, on April 18, 2025. Photo by Moiz Salhi/Anadolu

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Gaza families eat sea turtles to survive amid war and famine, as an 18-month conflict and an ongoing aid blockade leave 2.4 million people facing extreme hunger. What was once unthinkable has now become necessary: turning to endangered sea turtles as a source of protein in the devastated and besieged Gaza Strip.

Inside a makeshift tent in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza's largest city, 61-year-old Majida Qanan prepares what she can find. With no meat or poultry left in local markets, she simmers chunks of sea turtle meat in a pot over a wood fire. The meat is cooked with onion, pepper, tomato, and spices—an attempt to make something palatable for her displaced family. This is the third time she has had to prepare a turtle-based meal.

“The children were afraid of the turtle, and we told them it tasted as delicious as veal,” she said. “Some of them ate it, but others refused.”

This scene, once unimaginable, is becoming more common across Gaza. The war has not only destroyed homes and infrastructure but also collapsed the local economy and food supply system. Sea turtles, which are internationally protected and listed as endangered, now appear in cooking pots as one of the few remaining sources of protein.

A food system shattered by war and siege

The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel. Since then, fighting has raged across the territory, pausing only twice during temporary ceasefires. The most recent truce ended on March 17, and since then, Israel has maintained a tight blockade on aid entering Gaza.

The Israeli government accuses Hamas of diverting humanitarian aid for its own use, a charge that the Palestinian militant group denies. Meanwhile, the consequences for civilians have been catastrophic.

“There are no open crossings and there is nothing in the market,” said Qanan. “When I buy two small bags (of vegetables) for 80 shekels ($22), there is no meat.”

The United Nations and several humanitarian organizations have sounded the alarm. On Thursday, the heads of 12 major aid agencies warned that famine is not just a risk, but likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts of Gaza.

Turtle meat becomes a last resort

For fisherman Abdel Halim Qanan, the decision to eat sea turtle meat did not come lightly.

“We never expected to eat a turtle,” he said. “When the war started, there was a food shortage. There is no food. So (turtle meat) is an alternative for other sources of protein. There is no meat, poultry or vegetables.”

Fishermen in Gaza occasionally find sea turtles caught in their nets. In peacetime, these endangered animals are typically released. But desperation has changed everything.

Majida Qanan explains how she prepares the meat: she washes it with flour and vinegar, rinses it thoroughly, and then boils it in an old metal pot. The resulting dish might not be ideal, but it is all she can offer her hungry family.

Though sea turtles are protected under international law, that protection means little in a place where survival is the only priority. The Qanan family, like many others, is simply trying to stay alive.

Desperation deepens across Gaza

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Gaza is now facing the worst humanitarian crisis since the war began. Food, water, and medical supplies are critically low. Civilians are forced to find nutrition wherever they can — even in grass, animal feed, or contaminated water.

The World Health Organization’s regional chief Hanan Balkhy confirmed in June that some Gazans have resorted to eating grass and animal food and drinking sewage water to survive.

“If there was no famine, we would not eat it and leave it,” said fisherman Qanan. “But we want to compensate for the lack of protein.”

He also noted that the turtles were slaughtered in accordance with halal methods, respecting Islamic dietary rites despite the desperation.

The invisible toll on Gaza’s children

Among the most heart-wrenching aspects of the current crisis is its effect on children. Malnutrition rates are soaring. Aid workers have documented rising cases of stunted growth, wasting, and acute hunger in displaced children throughout Gaza.

Parents like Majida Qanan try to protect their children from the psychological and physical effects of starvation. They soften the truth where they can, telling children that turtle meat tastes like veal or beef. But the trauma of war and hunger is difficult to mask.

“Some of them ate it,” she said. “But others refused.”

The stark reality is that many children in Gaza may grow up with no memory of life before war, or food that wasn't scavenged or improvised.

A call for urgent humanitarian access

Human rights groups and the United Nations have repeatedly called for Israel to open aid corridors into Gaza. Trucks laden with food and medical supplies sit idle at closed borders. Humanitarian officials stress that the difference between life and death for many Gazans depends on those supplies reaching the people.

Hamas has accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war—a violation of international law if proven. Israel insists it is targeting militants and not civilians. But the results on the ground are clear: people are dying from lack of food.

The United Nations says that a significant humanitarian operation is urgently needed to avert mass famine. However, efforts remain stalled by the blockade, ongoing fighting, and political disagreements.

The cost of survival

In the absence of a functioning food system, every meal in Gaza has become a question of survival. Gaza families eat sea turtles not out of cultural tradition or taste, but because they have no other choice.

The ethical implications of eating an endangered species weigh heavily on many. Still, in a war zone where the next meal is uncertain and children go to bed hungry, those concerns fall away under the pressure of sheer survival.

“We are not proud of eating turtles,” said fisherman Qanan. “We do not enjoy it. But we need to live.”

As the war drags on, the people of Gaza continue to show resilience in unimaginable circumstances. But resilience is not a substitute for justice, nor should it be a justification for prolonged suffering.

Without immediate humanitarian intervention, more families will face the same impossible choices as the Qanans — choosing between starvation and survival, one sea turtle at a time.