The World Food Programme (WFP) is warning that its ability to provide basic necessities to the people of Gaza is in danger of collapsing due to escalating Israeli attacks. WFP Deputy Director Carl Skau has reported that the situation is untenable, with not enough food reaching the Gaza Strip and a lack of fuel. Overcrowded camps and emergency shelters, along with the breakdown of law and order, have made it impossible for meaningful humanitarian operations to take place.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, saying that the people of Gaza are “looking into the abyss.” At least 17,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in two months, and nearly 49,000 others have been wounded. Skau is calling for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid to be delivered and for the conflict to ultimately end.
Skau also spoke about a new process for inspecting Gaza aid at the Karem Abu Salem crossing, which is being tested. Israel has so far refused UN pleas to open the crossing, but there are indications that it may soon help with the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Skau has emphasized the urgency of the situation, describing it as increasingly chaotic and stating that half of the population is starving, with nine out of 10 people not eating every day.
The WFP is ready to roll with aid supplies already available in Egypt and Jordan to reach some one million people in one month. However, Skau emphasized the need for a humanitarian ceasefire and the opening of entry points in order to address the massive needs of the population in Gaza. He warned that the humanitarian operation is collapsing and that the situation is becoming increasingly dire.
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