Gaza, 28 November 2023 (TDI): According to UN reports, more supplies reached Gaza during an extended truce in hostilities, enabling the hungry citizens in the north to consume clean water for the first time in weeks.
The UN Secretary-General has highlighted the urgent need for a complete humanitarian truce in Gaza, stating that current aid alone cannot meet the needs of the 1.7 million displaced people.
According to him, “The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is getting worse by the day.”
A Glimpse of Hope Amid, Darkness
Reporters at UN Headquarters in New York asked UN Chief Antonio Guterres about the news that Qatar, the mediator, would extend the ceasefire for an additional two days.
In response, he replied that it was “a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war.”
OCHA reports Palestinians in the south are lining up for cooking gas and burning window frames and doors for cooking during the four-day humanitarian pause between Israel and Hamas.
Release of Hostages and Detainees
OCHA reported that the number of hostages freed by Hamas to date is 58. These hostages were captured during the armed group’s terror attacks in southern Israel on October 7.
Meanwhile, 117 Palestinians who had been captured in Israeli jails have also been released since Friday.
In addition, a UN vehicle successfully delivered life-saving vaccines from Gaza City to the southern region, enhancing medical infrastructure in the severely damaged area.
As per the OCHA reports, a joint UN truck has successfully transported 7,600 doses of various disease-dealing vaccines from the Gaza Ministry of Health warehouse to the south, also overcoming the refrigeration issues in the north.
Furthermore, “after thorough inspections to ensure their validity, the vaccines will be utilized to enhance routine immunization, which has been hampered by a shortage of supplies and ongoing hostilities,” OCHA underscored.
Evacuation Efforts and Urgent Appeals
According to the reports, the UN World Food Program and UNICEF have collaborated to provide crucial food aid to Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Hospital and its surrounding areas.
In this way, the northern part of the Strip has received aid relief for the first time since the end of Israeli military operations.
Cindy McCain, the WFP’s executive director, appreciated the humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza as a crucial step towards addressing hunger and ensuring the smooth transportation of supplies, highlighting the immense danger faced by thousands of lives in the region.
Also Read: WFP provides humanitarian aid in Gaza
Call for Peace and De-Escalation
In addition, Cindy McCain called for peace and de-escalation in the ongoing crisis and stated that the World Food Program (WFP) is ready to enhance supplies once secure access is provided. However, WFP will also concentrate on providing food to shelters.
WFP Representative Samer AbdelJaber shared a statement on social media: “It’s a promising step, but the team recounted painful stories from the people who haven’t received any aid in weeks.” He added, “They saw hunger, desperation, and destruction.”
According to media reports, the World Health Organization and the Palestine Red Crescent Society have coordinated a joint effort to evacuate 17 patients and wounded people from Al-Ahli Hospital to the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza.
WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the urgent need for a permanent ceasefire, while aid convoys reached UNRWA-run shelters in Jabalia camp in north Gaza after Israeli forces checked them at a checkpoint.
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