Gaza ceasefire response

UN World Food Programme convoys crossed into Gaza from the north and south on Sunday as the long-awaited ceasefire came into effect. The ceasefire is allowing the agency to bring in urgently needed food aid at scale and begin pulling the war-ravaged territory back from starvation.

The trucks, carrying parcels of ready-to-eat meals and bags of wheat flour, entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south and through the Zikim crossing in the north. WFP aims to deliver at least 150 trucks loaded with food into Gaza every day, and to provide transport services to partners, as part of a humanitarian surge operation designed to flood the Gaza Strip with life-saving food supplies and other aid. 

“This is a critical first step, but the needs in Gaza are immense; two million people have been in urgent need of food and other basics for far too long,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “After 15 months of war, we need all border crossings to stay open and function efficiently, effectively and reliably. And we need humanitarian teams to be able to move freely and safely across Gaza to reach those in need.”

WFP has enough food pre-positioned along the borders, and on its way to Gaza, to feed over a million people for 3 months. This includes food parcels, wheat flour, commodities for hot meals, and nutrition supplements. WFP plans to use every border crossing point from Jordan, Israel and Egypt to get supplies into Gaza. 

WFP’s goal is to provide immediate food assistance across Gaza, including the direct distribution of wheat flour and food parcels, re-stocking of bakeries, and the provision of nutritional supplements for thousands of children facing malnutrition. When commercial supplies of food and other goods start flowing, electronic vouchers or cash will be provided to families so they can buy food and other essentials themselves. As soon as possible, WFP hopes to work with partners to resume support for local food production. 

To reach all the people in need and make a meaningful impact, WFP calls upon all parties to facilitate the safe delivery and distribution of aid through the ceasefire period, and to support the continuation and the full restoration of services for the people of Gaza in the weeks to come.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization reached Al-Awda Hospital in North Gaza governorate. The team delivered 5,000 litres of fuel, as well as food parcels, bottled water, winter clothes and vaccines.

They also referred two patients in critical condition and their companions to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza city.

WHO says 33 patients and about 30 of their companions remain at in Al Awda Hospital, together with nearly a dozen doctors, almost two dozen nurses and 16 administrative staff. Access to the hospital remains extremely challenging and risky for patients

The World Food Programme has noted that transported goods today included life-saving wheat flour and ready-to-eat food parcels for people in desperate need. UNRWA have reassured that thousands of their seasoned aid workers are on the ground, in Gaza, ready to deliver incoming aid into the shelters and to people in need.

The humanitarian community in Gaza is ready to scale up and deliver. As reported yesterday, 80,000 tons of food assistance – enough to feed 1 million people for three months – is on standby for entry to Gaza as soon as possible. We and our humanitarian partners are also exploring ways of expanding cash assistance. And aid organizations aim to reach hundreds of thousands of people with basic shelters, provided we can access the supplies we need.