(Adnkronos) – The United Nations World Food Programme helped over 330,000 people in Gaza in the first week of a shaky US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Islamist Palestinian group Hamas, WFP said in a statement on Tuesday.
WFP has provided food parcels, hot meals and cash assistance to war-weary families, WFP said, warning that it was still “early days”.
“The first week has brought hope, but it is still early days. We must keep up this momentum,” said Antoine Renard, WFP country director in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“And with so many people on the move now, keen to reach their homes and reunite with their families in the north, we need to make sure they have food wherever they are. WFP’s priority is to ensure assistance follows the people,” said Renard.
Tens of thousands of displaced Gazans began to return to Gaza City on Monday and so far over 300,000 people have returned to northern Gaza after Israeli forces opened the Netzarim Corridor following a two-day delay.
The UN World Food and Agriculture Organisation has issued a call for emergency relief for Gazans and the restoration of local food production. Over two million people urgently need aid due to the collapse of agricultural production in the war-shattered Gaza Strip, FAO warns.
“The ceasefire provides a critical opportunity to address the catastrophic food crisis in Gaza by enabling emergency aid delivery and initiating early recovery efforts,” FAO deputy director-general Beth Bechdol said on Tuesday.
“But this is just the beginning of a long journey to recover from the devastation. We will need sustained peace and access to meet the immense needs and ensure no one in Gaza is left behind,” Bechdol said.
The three-stage ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect on 19 January.
