Aid to Gaza far below target as only two crossings remain open, say World Food Programme
WFP spokesperson says the the situation is “dire,” with families struggling to find food and malnutrition rates rising sharply, particularly among children.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and Gaza’s authorities have warned that humanitarian aid entering the enclave remains critically below agreed levels, as Israel continues to restrict crossings despite a ceasefire meant to ease the humanitarian crisis.
WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa said on Tuesday aid flows into Gaza are “far short” of the daily target of 2,000 tons needed to sustain the population.
“To be able to get to this scale-up, we have to use every border crossing point right now,” she told reporters in Geneva, noting that only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings are operational. Access to northern Gaza — where famine conditions persist — remains entirely closed.
Less than one-sixth of promised aid delivered
The Gaza Government Media Office said only 986 trucks have entered the enclave since the ceasefire took effect, far below the 6,600 trucks agreed upon in the deal.
“On average, just 89 trucks have entered Gaza daily — out of the 600 that were supposed to enter each day,” the media office said in a statement, calling the restrictions evidence of “Israel’s continued policy of suffocation, starvation, and humanitarian blackmail imposed on more than 2.4 million residents.”
The office added that 14 trucks carrying cooking gas and 28 trucks with solar fuel entered Gaza for bakeries, hospitals, and other essential services, but said these supplies “fall drastically short” of meeting the enclave’s urgent needs.
Palestinian government in Gaza called for the immediate and consistent entry of at least 600 trucks daily, including food, medical supplies, fuel, and relief materials, to “secure the basic necessities of life with dignity.”
Qatar condemns Israeli ceasefire violations
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday condemned Israel’s actions as a breach of the ceasefire and international law.
“We reiterate our condemnation of all Israeli violations and practices in Palestine, especially the transformation of the Gaza Strip into an uninhabitable zone and the continued violation of the ceasefire,” he said during the opening session of the Shura Council in Doha.
According to Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 80 Palestinians have been killed and more than 300 injured since the ceasefire took effect on October 10.