The United Nations warned on Friday that humanitarian access to Gaza remains heavily restricted by Israel despite the ceasefire, with vast stretches of farmland lying in ruins and food production nearly halted.
Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York that “people’s urgent needs are still immense,” adding that “impediments are not being lifted quickly enough since the ceasefire.”
“As of this Monday, the UN and our partners have collected from Gaza’s crossings more than 37,000 metric tonnes of aid, mostly food,” Haq said.
“But entry continues to be limited to only two crossings, with no direct access from Israel to northern Gaza or from Egypt to southern Gaza.”
Slowed relief operations
He noted that certain critical supplies and NGO personnel are still being denied entry, further slowing relief operations.
According to Haq, “most displaced people remain in overcrowded, makeshift shelters, many of which were set up in open or unsafe areas,” while local food production remains “extremely challenging.”
A UN analysis found that only 13 percent of Gaza’s cropland remains undamaged, yet most of it is inaccessible due to Israeli military deployment.
Between 79 percent and 89 percent of greenhouses, agricultural wells, and farming infrastructure have been damaged, while nearly 89 percent of orchard trees, including olive groves, “have been damaged or destroyed,” he said.
Israel’s 13-month military offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured more than 170,600 others, according to local authorities.
