UNRWA warns Gaza conditions remain dire as Palestinians endure food shortages despite ceasefire
Aid deliveries to Gaza fall far short of the truce deal as Israel continues to bar relief deliveries to the enclave, leaving families to endure severe shortages and hardships.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said that Palestinians in Gaza continue to struggle under dire humanitarian conditions, which have not improved despite a ceasefire in place for over two months.
“In Gaza, conditions remain dire, and humanitarian needs are overwhelming. Families continue to endure severe shortages and widespread destruction,” the agency said on Tuesday in a statement on the US social media platform X.
Citing the latest report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the statement said that 1.6 million people face acute food insecurity in the enclave.
“Gaza remains in a man-made hunger crisis,” the UNRWA quoted Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.
The agency reaffirmed that its teams, who are also displaced, are still working on the ground to support affected families.
Gaza ceasefire
A ceasefire agreement came into force on October 10 to end two years of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.
According to the Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza, an average of 244 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the enclave per day, out of the 600 agreed upon daily.
Similarly, the average number of fuel trucks hasn't risen above five per day, despite at least 50 fuel trucks being designated under the agreement, meaning a compliance rate not exceeding 41 percent in total.
The office also reported 875 ceasefire violations committed by the Israeli army, which resulted in the death of 411 people and the injury of 1,112 others.