The World Food Programme is shutting down all of its remaining bakeries in Gaza due to depleted stocks following Israel’s cutoff of food, medication, fuel, and humanitarian assistance almost a month ago.
The UN organization stated that because of insufficient humanitarian assistance, their stockpiles are depleting and they do not have an adequate amount of wheat flour required for baking bread.
The organization stated that it has handed out all the available food rations, and regrettably, there are no further supplies remaining.
Humanitarian personnel have extended resources, yet they caution about an impending drastic increase in critical hunger and malnutrition cases.
The Israeli defense agency responsible for matters concerning Palestinians, referred to as COGAT, reported that over 25,000 trucks delivered approximately 450,000 tons of assistance into Gaza throughout the truce. They noted this quantity equates to roughly one-third of all supplies received since the conflict began.
“There is sufficient food available for an extended duration, provided that Hamas allows the civilians to access it,” the statement read.
A UN spokesperson named Stephane Dujarric dismissed the claim as “absurd” and emphasized that the situation regarding food shortages is extremely serious. He stated that the organization is nearly out of supplies, with an absence of flour and cooking oil leading to the closure of bakeries. Additionally, he noted that “the WFP does not shut down its bakeries without reason.”
The UN organizations and humanitarian entities mentioned that they faced challenges in delivering and distributing assistance prior to the truce established in January. They noted that their assessments of the amount of aid reaching Gazans were typically less than those provided by COGAT, which relied on figures related to what came in via crossing points at borders.
Gaza depends extensively on international assistance since the conflict has ravaged nearly all of its capacity for food production.
Mohammed al-Kurd, who has 12 children, mentioned that his kids often go to sleep hungry at night, lacking even a dinner meal.
We assure them to wait patiently and promise to deliver flour tomorrow,” he stated. “In doing so, we deceive both them and us.
This is Israel’s longest blockade yet of the 17-month war with Hamas, with no sign of it ending.
UN officials express dismay over the death of their colleagues in Gaza.
Several UN humanitarian organizations expressed dismay over the murder of 15 staff members who were working in southern Gaza. Their bodies were found in a shallow grave following a seven-day recovery mission. They also mentioned that an additional employee is still unaccounted for.
“These individuals were shot,” stated Jens Laerke, who serves as the spokesman for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
“Usually, we manage to express ourselves clearly as representatives, yet occasionally we struggle to find the right words. This is one such instance,” he informed reporters in Geneva about the video recorded close to Tal-As-Sultan by an OCHA rescue team. The footage revealed a damaged UN vehicle along with ambulances and a fire engine that were also compressed and covered under the sand by actions attributed to the Israeli forces.
The humanitarian personnel from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Palestinian Civil Defence, and the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, were sent to retrieve wounded individuals in the Rafah region on March 23rd.
The group faced attacks from Israeli forces moving into the region, according to the senior official of OCHA in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. This was stated in an extensive update posted on X, which used to be called Twitter.
James Elder, spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, condemned “unprecedented breaches” of international humanitarian law (IHL) in Gaza linked to the resumption of Israeli bombardment and ground operations inside the shattered enclave.
“The sheer force of determination isn’t enough for survival when we continuously witness violations of international humanitarian law, and repeated obstructions in providing assistance,” the UNICEF representative stated additionally.