UN Warns Gaza Food Supplies Could Run Out in Two Weeks
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said on Wednesday that it has only enough food supplies in Gaza to sustain public kitchens and bakeries for less than two weeks after Israel halted the entry of aid, including food, fuel, and medicine.
Israel imposed the blockade over the weekend, aiming to pressure Hamas into accepting an alternative ceasefire arrangement, six weeks into an already fragile truce.
During the initial six weeks of the ceasefire, Israel allowed an increase in humanitarian aid deliveries. However, the WFP stated on Wednesday that its food stocks are now critically low due to prioritizing distributions to the population. The agency also warned that its fuel reserves would only last a few more weeks.
Palestinians reported a sharp rise in prices as residents rushed to markets to stock up after Israel announced tighter restrictions.
UNICEF says Israel’s blockade is threatening lifesaving healthcare services for children, including newborns, in the Gaza Strip.
Rosalia Bollen, a spokesperson for UNICEF, said the block on humanitarian aid, including vaccines and ventilators for pre-term babies, “will have devastating real-life consequences” for children and their parents.
“If we’re unable to bring that in, routine vaccination will come to a standstill,” she said. “Neonatal units won’t be able to care for preterm babies, so this is a real-life consequence that we’ll be dealing with very, very soon if we’re unable to resume the aid supplies coming in.”
Bollen, who is in Gaza, said existing supplies have already been largely distributed throughout the enclave.
“The needs are so high that we haven’t been able to stockpile goods … That’s why these latest restrictions are so devastating.
“The first phase of the ceasefire wasn’t just a pause in hostilities…it really was a lifeline for families here,” she added. “The mood here is very depressed; families that I speak with are deeply worried about what the future is going to hold.”
Following more than 16 months of genocidal war, Gaza's population is entirely dependent on trucked-in food and aid. Most residents are displaced, with many in need of shelter.
