The World Food Program (WFP) has issued a call for the establishment of humanitarian corridors in the Gaza Strip and appealed for the secure passage of its personnel and essential aid.
In an official statement, the WFP announced the launch of an emergency operation aimed at providing food assistance to over 800,000 individuals in Gaza and the West Bank facing critical shortages of food, water, and essential supplies.
The WFP has already distributed ready-to-eat items to 73,000 people taking refuge in displaced-persons shelters in Gaza. Concerns have been raised about the availability of food in local shops as supplies dwindle following Israel’s declaration of a complete siege on the Palestinian territory on Monday, in response to the deadly Hamas attacks on Saturday.
With all borders and checkpoints between Gaza and Israel closed, the WFP emphasized the exacerbation of the crisis as aid is prevented from entering the region. The agency stressed that if it can replenish its stocks through humanitarian corridors, it aims to distribute food to 300,000 people.
Lynn Hastings, the humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, highlighted the dire situation, noting that most Gazans have access to electricity for only three to four hours a day, significantly impacting health facilities. Hospitals are overwhelmed, running low on medical supplies, and ambulances are facing fuel shortages.
According to Hastings, at least 200,000 residents out of Gaza’s 2.2 million population have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has offered assistance to health officials in both Israel and Gaza. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, secured an agreement to facilitate the delivery of health and humanitarian supplies from WHO to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths, while calling for an end to the violence, emphasized that humanitarian assistance, vital services, and supplies to Gaza must not be blocked.
