The agency says it already has enough supplies to feed the entire population of the Gaza Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.
A week after the start of the fragile ceasefire, PAM brings an average of 560 tons of food every day.
“The ceasefire agreement has opened a narrow window of opportunity, and WFP is moving quickly to scale up food assistance and reach families who have endured months of blockade, displacement and hunger.“, said Abeer Etefa, WFP senior regional communications officer and spokesperson for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Ms Etefa said teams and supply networks were fully mobilized.
Five distribution points now open
“We’re still short of what we need, but we’re getting there,” she noted. Five food distribution points are now operating across Gaza, focusing on women and children. “Our goal is to expand to 145 distribution points throughout Gaza.– that’s the scale we’re aiming for,” she added.
Humanitarian agencies emphasize that sustainable access and multiple crossings are essential to reach all people in need. Only two crossing points are currently open, and those in the north remain closed, limiting deliveries to the hardest-hit areas.
“Roads are blocked and destroyed. This is a huge limitation to transportation“, said Ms. Etefa.
Due to access and security constraints, no food distribution has yet taken place in Gaza City, only nutritional supplies for children and pregnant or lactating women.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office (OCHA), said the northern crossings remain closed “because the Israeli authorities have not opened them.”
He added that road repairs and clearance of unexploded ordnance are also essential for safety and access. “It’s very important to have these openings in the north, because that’s where the famine has set in,” he said.
Aid increase of 170,000 tonnes
According to the WFP, 57,000 tonnes of food are already pre-positioned in Egypt, Jordan and Israel, with plans to increase this to 170,000 tonnes, enough for 1.6 million people over three months. “Beyond that, we must maintain at least three months of stock at all times,” Ms Etefa said.
On October 16, 950 trucks entered Gazaof which eight were transporting fuel and three were transporting gas, according to OCHA. About a third of them went through mechanisms coordinated by the UN.
A woman celebrates the ceasefire in Gaza.
UN Women: Recovery must be led by women and girls
UN WomenGaza humanitarian chief Sofia Calltorp on Friday urged the international community to transform Gaza’s fragile ceasefire into a recovery led by women and girls.
“We have heard from so many women and girls across Gaza since the ceasefire began – a mixture of fragile hope, deep exhaustion and quiet strength,” she said.
“For the first time in months, some can seek care, receive help and sleep without the sound of airstrikes. But hope alone is not enough.”
Ms Calltorp highlighted that more than a million women and girls are in need of food and a quarter of a million people need urgent nutritional support. “This ceasefire is our chance to act quickly, to end famine where it started and to prevent it where it threatens,” she said.
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