GENEVA: The United Nations has announced plans to maximise aid delivery to Gaza’s starving population following Israel’s decision to establish secure land routes for humanitarian convoys.
The World Food Programme confirmed sufficient food supplies are available to feed Gaza’s 2.1 million residents for nearly three months.
UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher stated the organisation would work to reach “as many starving people as we can” during the temporary pause. Israel’s one-week suspension of military operations aims to facilitate aid distribution amid worsening hunger.
Fletcher welcomed Israel’s move to ease restrictions, including lifting customs barriers on essential supplies from Egypt and securing convoy routes.
Initial reports indicated over 100 aid trucks were collected on Sunday, though Fletcher stressed the need for sustained efforts.
“We need faster clearances, multiple daily convoy trips, and safe routes avoiding crowded areas,“ he said.
The WFP emphasised the critical need for food aid, revealing that a third of Gaza’s population has gone days without eating, while 470,000 endure famine-like conditions.
Monthly, 62,000 tonnes of food assistance are required to sustain Gaza’s two million residents.
Israel has pledged to expedite truck clearances and ensure no armed forces interfere with convoys. The WFP hopes these measures will accelerate food distribution.
Meanwhile, UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned Israel’s failure to meet its obligations as an occupying power, describing Gaza as a “dystopian landscape of deadly attacks and total destruction.”
Turk criticised the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for chaotic aid distribution, citing over 1,000 Palestinian deaths near its sites since May. – Reuters
