UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The United Nations announced Thursday that 170,000 tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid are ready to enter Gaza and is seeking Israel’s green light to massively expand aid to more than 2 million Palestinians. agreement to suspend war.
Over the past few months, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have been able to provide only 20% of the aid needed to address the problem. The dire situation in Gazasaid Tom Fletcher, UN Humanitarian Director. Following Wednesday’s announcement, armistice agreementHe said all entry points to Gaza needed to be open to deliver aid on a “much larger scale”.
“Given the level of need; level of hungerMr Fletcher said: “Resolving this level of misery and despair requires a massive collective effort, and that’s why we’re mobilizing. We’re fully prepared to deploy at scale and deliver results.”
The deal, announced Wednesday, President Donald Trump It is the first time in recent months that U.N. officials are hopeful of expanding supplies after two years of war. Israel’s expanding offensive and Restrictions on humanitarian aid caused a famine crisis including Famine occurs in parts of the territory.
dispute caused by October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel Leftists killed 1,200 people and devastated Gaza tens of thousands of Palestinians deaths, sparked other conflicts in the region, and isolated Israel on the world stage, including at the United Nations.
UN expects more aid to Gaza soon
Speaking to U.N. reporters virtually from Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, he said the U.N. was “asking, demanding and pleading for access, and we hope to have access within the next few days.”
Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning aid without showing evidence of widespread diversion, accused UN agencies of failing to deliver food allowed entry into Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli and US-backed contractor, replaced the UN aid operation in Gaza in May as the main food supplier.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday he was not aware of the GHF’s role during the ceasefire.
Mr Fletcher said the United Nations was guided by: 20-point ceasefire plan It is advocated by the United States and emphasizes the “importance of the United Nations’ role as the center of humanitarian response.”
These are the UN’s priorities during the ceasefire
in first 60 days after ceasefireFletcher said the UN aims to increase the number of trucks carrying aid entering Gaza from 500 to 600 each day, and scale up food deliveries to 2.1 million people and 500,000 people in need of nutritional supplements.
“We must reverse hunger in areas where it is entrenched and stop it in others,” he said, adding that special rations would be distributed to people facing acute hunger, and bakeries and community kitchens would be supported.
Fletcher said the United Nations aims to deliver medicines and supplies for recovery. Gaza’s collapsed health system;expand emergency and primary care, including mental health and rehabilitation services; Support medical referrals and medical evacuations. and deploying more emergency teams.
The United Nations said it also aims to restore Gaza’s water network and improve sanitation by installing toilets in households, repairing sewage leaks and pumping stations, and moving solid waste away from residential areas.
Before winter and most houses were destroyedIn addition to heavy-duty tarpaulins, the UN also plans to bring in thousands of tents each week, Fletcher said.
On education, he said the United Nations plans to reopen temporary learning spaces and “provide learning materials and school supplies” to 700,000 school-age children.
Fletcher said the United Nations could continue to implement the program as before, but needed to locate unexploded ordnance to ensure the protection of civilians, especially women and girls who are victims of sexual violence, and to reduce the risk of death and injury.
It would also require Israel to allow humanitarian and other organizations with UN partners into the country, which would require significant funding.
Mr Fletcher warned that the 170,000 tonnes of aid ready to enter Gaza was just the tip of the iceberg of what was needed, and called on developed countries to step up contributions to aid efforts.
“Every government, every state, every individual is watching this crisis unfold and asking, ‘What can we do? If there’s anything we can do,’ and now is the time to embrace that generosity,” he said.
