Gaza, 24 November 2023 (TDI): The World Food Program (WFP) today announced that it is providing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. WFP has so far reached around 760,000 people inside with emergency food and vouchers.
Over two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, many living in overcrowded shelters, makeshift tents, and open areas without adequate food, clean water, or sanitation.
Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, along with markets, shops, bakeries, and public services. Those who have escaped death by bombardment are now at risk of starvation or disease.
A woman named Al-Masry told WFP staff that she and her children scavenge the streets for plastic to make fires to cook whatever they can find. They have no flour, and her children are sick with diarrhea. She asked, “What have we done to deserve this?”
Another woman, Khitan, told WFP staff in Gaza’s Khan Yunis that she desperately needs a bag of flour so that her children can taste bread again.
Meanwhile, WFP trucks loaded with over 1,000 metric tons of food are lined up at the Rafah border, waiting to reach Khitan and others in Gaza.
After WFP warned of the immediate risk of starvation facing Gazans, an agreement was reached on Friday, November 17, to allow in some fuel to facilitate aid delivery.
Also Read: WFP delivers vital food aid to Gaza
Eight of WFP’s trucks inside Gaza finally managed to transport two weeks’ worth of emergency food supplies for nearly 23,000 people.
Increasing the volume and flow of assistance is the only way to contain the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.
A full-scale humanitarian response to save lives and ease pressure on battered communities requires at least 100 trucks of food supplies a day, multiple entry points from all sides, and a cessation of hostilities.
WFP can reach more than 1 million people by December, working with multiple humanitarian actors and partners.
