Humanitarian crisis in Gaza: UN’s urgent response and recovery plan amid ceasefire
The reopening of border crossings was part of a long-awaited peace agreement, and the United Nations World Food Programme announced on Sunday that it was working nonstop to provide food to as many Gazans as possible. As trucks from the Rome-based UN organization started to arrive at the strip, Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP), stated that they were trying to reach a million people within the shortest possible time. Skau said that the organization will aim to give nutritional supplements to the most undernourished. They are moving in with wheat flour and ready-to-eat meals and will be working on all fronts trying to restock the bakeries.
42-day truce offers hope for war-ravaged Gaza
After 15 months of fighting, a 42-day interim truce between Israel and Hamas is intended to allow for a flood of much-needed humanitarian aid into the Palestinian area. To save the war-ravaged territory from starvation, the WFP stated in a statement that its first trucks entered Gaza through the Zikim crossing in the north and the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south. Skau stated that the WFP was hopeful that the border crossings would be open and efficient and that 150 trucks would arrive every day over the next 20 days or more.
To ensure that food does not just get over the border but also gets into the hands of the people, there must be an environment inside (Gaza) that is secure enough for teams to move around. So far, it appears that everything is going smoothly. UN must now maintain that for a few days or weeks. Due to instability in northern Gaza and diminishing fuel and flour supplies, WFP was only running five of the 20 bakeries it partnered with before the truce.
WFP races to feed Gaza: Bread, aid, and hope
The Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP), emphasized that getting bread to tens of thousands of people each day was one of WFP’s top priorities and stated that they are hoping that they will be up and running in all those bakeries as soon as possible. The ability to provide people with warm bread also has a psychological impact. Additionally, he stated that WFP aims to get the private sector and commercial goods in there as soon as possible. The UN organization may substitute cash and vouchers for prepared meals, enabling people to purchase their food to bring back some dignity and, frankly, start rebuilding their lives.
According to the World Food Program, along the borders, there is enough food in stock that can feed over a million people for three months, and also more food is en route. Almost the whole population is displaced frequently as a result of ongoing shelling and aerial bombing. Many households are not safe for migration or at the safe refuge, particularly the riskiest elements. The majority is living in temporary provided camps but the total population density is about 40,000 people per square kilometer. The efforts of humans have been severely hampered by the evacuation orders and the military offensive, which has gotten worse in recent weeks. Additionally, the repeated displacements have made it harder for people to cope and obtain food, water, and medication, making entire communities more vulnerable.
UN’s plan for Gaza recovery
Despite significant obstacles, like instability, access issues, and continuous evacuation orders and fighting, UN agencies are nevertheless working to help all Gazans. For example, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has made it a priority to restart local food production and make nutrient-dense food more accessible, particularly as winter draws near. Hunger and malnutrition spiked throughout Gaza’s winters even before the war. The FAO also expressed “deep concern” over the substantial losses in livestock, which are essential to Gaza’s population’s fundamental survival and means of subsistence.
To protect about 30,000 sheep and goats, or about 40% of the surviving animals, the agency has established a program. By the end of September, it had provided veterinary kits to over 2,400 herder households and fodder to more than 4,400 livestock owners in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al-Balah. Once access, security, and mobility circumstances are restored, it is prepared to provide more vital goods, such as more feed, greenhouse plastic sheets, plastic water tanks, vaccines, energy blocks, and animal shelters. A serious water deficit in northern Gaza is worsening the humanitarian disaster. There, tens of thousands of residents are in “severe danger” due to ongoing Israeli military actions.
