All eyes on Gaza as aid teams retrieve first lifesaving relief in months

“Today will be crucial. Truckloads of lifesaving aid finally on move again,” said top UN aid relief coordinator Tom Fletcher.

Hours earlier and in a major development, 198 trucks entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south of the enclave, carrying nutrition supplies, medicines and wheat flour.

Announcing the news online, Mr. Fletcher reported that humanitarian organizations then retrieved “about 90 truckloads of goods” in a nighttime operation to prepare them for distribution.

But significant challenges remain “in loading and dispatching goods” Mr. Fletcher continued, citing security and looting concerns, “delays in coordination approvals and inappropriate routes being provided by Israeli forces that are not viable for the movement of cargo”.

No commercial or humanitarian supplies have been allowed into Gaza since 2 March, deepening an already catastrophic hunger crisis and sparking widespread condemnation from the international community.

According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO) at least 57 children have reportedly died from the effects of malnutrition, according to the local health authorities. The number is likely an underestimate and is expected to increase if the aid blockade continues.  

In their latest report, respected and UN-partnered food insecurity experts warned that nearly 71 000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next 11 months unless Gazans can access sufficient food and healthcare support.

Working through the night

Video footage published online Thursday by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) showed aid crews hurrying to offload sacks of flour from trucks at a floodlit warehouse.

Elsewhere in the storage hangar, other images showed large quantities of dough being made in an industrial mixer.

“Our teams are working non-stop to get bakeries running again,” the agency said, referring to the 25 facilities it had to close on 31 March when wheat flour and fuel ran out. 

“But it’s nowhere near enough to support everyone in need. We need more trucks, more food, in now,” the UN agency warned.

After 19 months of constant Israeli bombardment which continues today, one in five Gazans faces starvation, food insecurity experts have warned.

And reiterating the urgent need for more lifesaving supplies to enter the shattered enclave, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, stressed that much more aid will be needed to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

No fuel allowed in

No hygiene products or fuel have been allowed into the enclave by the Israeli authorities, the UN agency noted.

“The UN and its partners have been engaging with the Israeli authorities to identify the best possible route from Kerem Shalom onward into Gaza to ensure the flow of aid is not disrupted or suspended,” OCHA explained in its latest update. “Partners are in touch with community leaders in Gaza to mitigate the risk of looting and ensure that the supplies entering Gaza reach the people who rely on them.”

Meanwhile, Gazans continue to contend with daily bombardment and shelling across the Strip, with dozens reported killed on Tuesday.

A day later, OCHA noted that the health authorities on an urgent request for blood donors to treat the sick and injured.

“Amid the hostilities, large numbers of people continue to be displaced – once again fleeing for their lives amid intense bombing of their communities and with no safe place to seek shelter or supplies,” the UN agency said.

It reported that a full 80 per cent of Gaza is either subject to displacement orders or located in Israeli-militarized zones which require aid teams to coordinate their movements with the Israeli authorities.

“Partners report that over the past few days, almost half of people newly displaced have fled with none of their belongings,” OCHA said. “The ongoing displacement of Gaza’s population is putting immense pressure on humanitarian teams, especially when there is no food or other basic supplies to offer.” 

More to come on this developing story…

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Half of women’s organizations in crisis zones risk closure within six months

Across 73 countries, 308 million people now rely on humanitarian aid – a number that continues to rise. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by these crises, facing preventable pregnancy-related deaths, malnutrition, and alarming levels of sexual violence.

Despite the growing need, the humanitarian system is facing severe funding shortfalls, threatening life-saving services for women and girls.

Programmes suspended

According to a UN survey conducted among 411 women-led and women’s rights organizations providing services in crisis areas, 90 per cent have already been hit by funding cuts.

A staggering 51 per cent have been forced to suspend programmes, including those that support survivors of gender-based violence.

Pushed to the brink, almost three-quarters of the organizations surveyed also reported having to lay off staff – many at significant levels.

Already underfunded even before the recent wave of cuts, women’s organizations serve as a “lifeline” for women and girls, particularly in crisis settings.

With these organizations serving as cornerstones of humanitarian response, Sofia Calltorp, Chief of UN Women Humanitarian Action, called the situation “critical”, as funding cuts threaten essential, life-saving services.

Local women’s leadership

Despite the growing challenges, women’s organizations remain unwavering – “leading with courage, advocating for their communities, and rebuilding lives with resilience and determination,” said the UN gender equality agency.

In light of the findings, UN Women recommends prioritising and tracking direct, flexible, and multi-year funding to local women-led and women’s rights organizations whose work is under threat.

Placing local women’s leadership and meaningful participation at the centre is a core pillar of a humanitarian reset. “Supporting and resourcing them is not only a matter of equality and rights, but also a strategic imperative,” said Ms Calltorp.

Gazans face hunger crisis as aid blockade nears two months

Both the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, and the World Food Programme (WFP) report that food stocks are now exhausted, even as supplies of lifesaving assistance pile up at border crossings waiting to be brought in.

Humanitarians continue to warn that hunger is spreading and deepening in the enclave, amid the blockage, access constraints, ongoing Israeli military operations and a rise in looting.

Scarcity, sharing and shame

UNRWA shared the testimony of a woman called Um Muhammad who is staying at a shelter in Gaza City and prepares food for 11 family members daily. Although she still has some flour, most families nearby have already run out.

“When I knead and bake, I feel very ashamed of myself, so I distribute some bread to the children who come asking for a piece of bread,” she said.

“We eat one meal a day, dividing bread among each person daily. We eat canned goods, lentils, and rice. When this stock runs out, I don’t know what we will do because what is available in the market is scarce.”

Longest blockade

Gaza has a population of more than two million people who mostly depend on aid, but no humanitarian or commercial supplies have entered since 2 March when Israel imposed a full blockade on the territory.  

This is by far the longest ban on aid moving into the Strip since the start of the war in October 2023, following the deadly Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel.

The situation has led to shortages – not just of food, but other items including medicine, shelter supplies and safe water.  WFP recently noted a 1,400 per cent increase in food prices when compared to the ceasefire period, which lasted from 19 January to 18 March of this year.

Malnutrition and looting

On Friday, the UN agency delivered its last remaining stocks to hot meals kitchens, which have been a lifeline in recent weeks. The kitchens are expected to fully run out of food within days, and another 16 closed over the weekend.  Furthermore, all 25 WFP-supported bakeries are now shuttered.

There has been an increase in reports of looting incidents, the UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA said on Monday. Over the weekend, armed individuals reportedly ransacked a truck in Deir Al-Balah and a warehouse in Gaza City.

Meanwhile, the latest famine review analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) got underway this week.

Humanitarian partners warn that the nutrition situation across Gaza is worsening. Since January, about 10,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children have been identified, including 1,600 cases of severe acute malnutrition

Although treatment supplies remain available in the south, accessing them continues to be extremely challenging due to operational and security restrictions.

Healthcare also affected

OCHA stressed that the depletion of critical stocks in Gaza goes far beyond food. For example, trauma-related medical supplies are running out at a time when the number of people injured in mass casualty incidents continues to increase. 

Gaza also lacks surgical supplies, including gowns, drapes and gloves.  The World Health Organization (WHO) informed that their warehouse has run out of therapeutic milk, intravenous antibiotics and painkillers, as well as spare parts for ambulances and oxygen stations. 

Partners working in health add that an increasing number of critical staff are being denied access to Gaza, with a rise in the denial of entry for emergency medical teams, particularly highly specialized professionals – including orthopedic and plastic surgeons – and a recent restriction of movement across the enclave.  

Aid awaiting entry

As the aid ban continues, humanitarians are doing everything possible to reach people with whatever supplies remain available.

They also have stocks of food and other lifesaving items ready and waiting to enter the Gaza Strip as soon as border crossings re-open.

This includes nearly 3,000 UNRWA trucks of aid, while WFP has more than 116,000 metric tonnes of food assistance – enough to feed one million people for up to four months. 

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