Aid groups seize on truce to tackle Gaza hunger

JERUSALEM: International agencies were preparing on Saturday (Oct 11) to pour aid into Gaza, hopeful that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will allow them to put an end to the famine haunting parts of the territory.

But optimism was marked with caution.

The fragile truce could open access, but aid agencies fear Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump’s plan.

Logistical hurdles are far from the mind of displaced father Marwan al-Madhun. The 34-year-old just wants to know when the trucks will arrive.

“My children are mainly happy to know that meat and chicken will arrive at last,” he told AFP in central Gaza, as tens of thousands of Palestinians started to walk back to homes destroyed during fighting in the north.

“It’s been two years that they’ve been deprived,” he said. “At last, the crossing points will open!”

FAMINE DECLARED

On Aug 22, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, after experts warned 500,000 people faced a “catastrophic” threat.

Israel has accused Hamas of manufacturing a crisis and stealing aid.

Now, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs says Israel has approved delivery of 170,000 tonnes of aid under a response plan for the first 60 days of the truce.

“The most basic necessities are still urgently needed in Gaza: medical equipment, medicines, food, water, fuel, and adequate shelter for two million people who will face the approaching winter without a roof over their heads,” said Jacob Granger, Gaza coordinator for Doctors Without Borders.

Representatives of Granger’s organisation, the World Food Programme and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said they were ready to step up shipments, but much remains unclear.

“The difficulty we have now is questions of access,” said Antoine Renard, WFP director in the Palestinian territories, speaking from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

The WFP, which leads the group of organisations handling food security, has begun discussions with COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry agency for civilian affairs in the territories.