63,000 tonnes of food await lifting of Gaza aid blockade: UN
United Nations, March 15 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) UN humanitarians said that 63,000 metric tonnes of food await an end to the Gaza aid blockade, enough for 1.1 million people for two to three months.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the 12-day aid blockage hinders relief operations, Xinhua news agency reported.
“This means, for example, that the World Food Programme (WFP) has not been able to transport any food supplies into Gaza due to the closure of all border crossing points for both humanitarian and commercial supplies,” OCHA said. “WFP has about 63,000 metric tonnes of food destined for Gaza, stored or in transit in the region.”
WFP said it has enough stocks to support active bakeries and community kitchens for up to one month and can also provide ready-to-eat food parcels for more than 500,000 people for two weeks. However, before the ceasefire, WFP reduced the quantity of ready-to-eat food parcels so that families could stretch their supplies and serve more people.
It isn’t just a shortage of food. A lack of fuel affects vehicle movements across Gaza and slows first responders.
OCHA said oxygen supplies and electricity generators are also critically needed to maintain life-saving operations at hospitals in Gaza. At least two dozen additional generators are in short supply for health centres, as the ones in use need maintenance and spare parts.
In the West Bank, the humanitarian office warned that settler violence is escalating in certain areas across the region, causing casualties, property damage and placing communities at high risk of displacement.
Over the past two years, OCHA has documented the displacement of more than 2,000 Palestinians across the West Bank due to heightened settler violence and access restrictions.
In the northern West Bank, the Israeli military operation entered its eighth week.
The office said people continue to be displaced, and last week Israeli forces raided at least 10 mosques across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
“Since Monday, operations in Jenin city have intensified, with more than 500 people displaced from three neighbourhoods in the eastern part of the city, according to the municipality,” OCHA said. “The UN and its partners warn that food insecurity is rising, as operations by Israeli forces, displacement, and movement restrictions limit access to food.”
Also, OCHA said there was a sharp increase in the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank over the past week and a half. The number of structures demolished during the first 10 days of Ramadan this year exceeds the total for all of Ramadan in 2024.
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