ROME – 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.
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