Geneva, Oct 22 — The Gaza ceasefire, which began on Oct 11, has let United Nations food workers deliver more help to people in the strip, but the UN says the aid still falls far short of what is needed to stop a famine.
Senior WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa said the agency has moved out more than 6,700 tonnes of food since the pause, enough for close to half a million people for two weeks. “We’re putting out about 750 tonnes a day now, but we still target 2,000 tonnes a day,” she said. “Reaching that goal is impossible unless all the border crossing points open.”
Right now only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings in the south are open. Access to the north is still blocked, where the UN warned of famine back in August. “We need Erez, we need Zikkim, we need those crossings to open,” Etefa urged.
The WFP has cleared roads into Gaza City and plans to re‑open its distribution network to 145 points in the Strip. Currently 26 points are open, and people are coming by the thousands, grateful for the organised and dignified distribution. The aid is especially vital for women, female‑headed households and the elderly.
“People are buying food from the market, but it’s too expensive,” Etefa warned. Many families are saving portions of their rations because they aren’t sure the ceasefire will hold. “It’s a fragile peace,” she said.
The agency also helps the food‑insecure through digital payments, letting 140,000 people buy food locally, with plans to double that soon. But Etefa stressed that aid alone can’t solve the crisis – commercial supplies must also flow into Gaza.
Only a fully implemented and sustained ceasefire can let the WFP do the scale of work it needs to do.
Source: ianslive
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