More than two million people require humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations (UN) World Food Program said on Sunday.
The UN made this known as trucks carrying humanitarian aid entering Gaza on Sunday following a long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas.
The trucks, carrying parcels of ready-to-eat meals and bags of wheat flour, entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south and through the Zikim crossing in the north.
In a statement released on Sunday, UN World Food Program Executive Director, Cindy McCain, said it aims to send over 150 trucks of food daily into Gaza to help war victims in the area.
According to McCain, the ceasefire is allowing the agency to bring in urgently needed food aid at scale and begin pulling the war-ravaged territory back from starvation.
“The U.N. World Food Programme aims to deliver at least 150 trucks loaded with food into Gaza every day and to provide transport services to partners, as part of a humanitarian surge operation designed to flood the Gaza Strip with lifesaving food supplies and other aid.
“This is a critical first step, but the needs in Gaza are immense. 2 million people have been in urgent need of food and other basics for far too long.
“After 15 months of war, we need all border crossings to stay open and function efficiently, effectively and reliably. And we need humanitarian teams to be able to move freely and safely across Gaza to reach those in need.
“As soon as possible, the U.N. World Food Programme hopes to work with partners to resume support for local food production.
“To reach all the people in need and make a meaningful impact, the U.N. World Food Programme calls upon all parties to facilitate the safe delivery and distribution of aid through the ceasefire period, and to support the continuation and the full restoration of services for the people of Gaza in the weeks to come,” the statement read.
