The United Nations said on Tuesday it has distributed food parcels to around one million people in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, but warned it remains locked in a “race to save lives” as access restrictions choke aid flows.
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said its operations are being severely hampered by Israel’s continued closure of northern crossings into the besieged Palestinian territory, where famine looms.
“Three and a half weeks into the ceasefire, we’ve reached about one million people across Gaza,” said WFP’s Middle East spokeswoman Abeer Etefa, speaking from Cairo. “That’s part of the broad operation to push back hunger in Gaza. But we need more access — more border crossings open and access to key roads inside the Strip.”
The US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas has allowed limited humanitarian deliveries since October 10, but aid groups say the volume remains far below what is needed.
Distribution points limited
Etefa said WFP aims to reach 1.6 million people with parcels providing enough food for a family for 10 days. So far, it has opened 44 of 145 planned distribution points and is supplying fresh bread daily to 700,000 people through 17 bakeries.
Despite modest improvements, food consumption remains “well below” pre-war levels, she said. Families largely survive on cereals and pulses, while meat, eggs, and vegetables are “extremely rare.”
Inside Gaza, food prices have soared. “An apple now costs as much as a kilo of apples before the war,” said WFP spokesperson Nour Hammad.
The agency says it has managed to bring in only half of what’s required to meet Gaza’s food needs. Trucks are currently entering only through Karem Abu Salem and Kissufim crossings — a bottleneck that limits aid delivery to the devastated north.
“We haven’t been given clear answers on why the northern crossings remain closed,” Etefa said. “The needs are overwhelming. We are in a race to save lives.”
