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The United Nations (UN) has introduced a “detailed” and “proven” strategy to deliver a significant amount of aid to Gaza over a period of 60 days after the ceasefire agreement is confirmed.
According to Tom Fletcher, the UN’s head of humanitarian operations, on Thursday (local time), the plan includes the distribution of 170,000 metric tonnes of food, medicine, and other essential resources to Gaza, and it is ready to be put into action.
“Our supplies of 170,000 metric tons, consisting of food, medicine, and additional provisions, are prepared. Our teams, who are courageous, skilled, and determined, are in position,” Fletcher told UN reporters via a video call from Saudi Arabia.
This development follows the decision of Israel’s government to approve a ceasefire, which is part of a comprehensive 20-point peace initiative with Hamas, a Palestinian political and military organization, paving the way to halt hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and facilitate the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza within the subsequent 72 hours.
The initial phase of the ceasefire agreement will permit an increased flow of humanitarian aid into the beleaguered territory.
Fletcher said the UN aimed to “scale up” supplies entering the strip to “hundreds of trucks every day”.
“We will aim to increase the pipeline of supplies to hundreds of trucks every day. We will scale up the provision of food across Gaza to reach 2.1 million people who need food aid and around 500,000 people who need nutrition,” he said.
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza — sparked after Hamas-led fighters launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 — has plunged the Palestinian enclave into a deep humanitarian crisis.
In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Famine Review Committee highlighted that 514,000 individuals, nearly a quarter of Gaza’s Palestinian population, were enduring famine conditions. This assessment was disputed by Israel.
Israel has accused Hamas of siphoning off aid, although a USAID analysis from earlier this year found no evidence of widespread theft, while the European Commission said it had received no reports.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said he was not aware of any role for the GHF during the ceasefire, The Washington Post reported.
The UN’s aid ‘surge’
With large sections of Gaza reduced to rubble after two years of bombardment from Israeli defence forces, Fletcher said the UN would shore up its shelter provision to help families to prepare for winter, including the distribution of thousands of tents per week.
He said 200,000 families would receive cash to cover basic food needs, and added the organisation intended to restore Gaza’s decimated medical system and improve access to medical supplies.
“We are committed to enhancing emergency care, primary healthcare, child and maternal health services, sexual and reproductive health, neonatal care, non-communicable diseases treatment, mental health support, and rehabilitation efforts,” Fletcher stated.
The initiative will also seek to provide 1.4 million people with water and sanitation services.
“We’ll help to restore the water grid,” Fletcher said. “We will repair sewage leaks and pumping stations. We will move solid waste away from residential spaces, and will provide hygiene supplies, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, sanitary pads.”
The United Nations also wants to get temporary schools set up for 700,000 children.
But Fletcher said increased funding was necessary to ensure the plan could be sustained, reiterating that only 28 per cent of the UN’s US$4 billion ($6.1 billion) appeal for Gaza has been funded.
And to sustain the UN’s plan, Fletcher said nearly 20 million litres of fuel were needed every week, as well as the restoration of gas for cooking.
Fletcher called for more security and scanners to ensure the swift passage of aid convoys through the strip.
“Let’s be clear, this problem won’t go away in two months.”
— With additional reporting by the Agence France-Presse news agency.
