GENEVA:
The United Nations children’s charity Unicef called on Friday for the opening of all food aid crossing points into the war-devastated Gaza Strip, saying the territory’s children were particularly vulnerable as they have gone without adequate food for long periods.
The call comes as Israeli troops begin withdrawing from parts of Palestinian territory on Friday under a ceasefire deal with Hamas, part of the first phase of a move by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the two-year-old war.
“The situation is critical. We risk witnessing a massive increase in infant mortality, not only neonatal, but also infant, given that their immune systems are more weakened than ever,” said UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires. Children’s immunity is low because “they are not eating properly, and for too long, for too long,” he explained.
The United Nations plans to step up its delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where some areas are experiencing famine, during the first 60 days of a ceasefire in the enclave, a senior U.N. official said Thursday. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said it expects around 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily.
“As part of the ceasefire agreement, we will have more than 145 community distribution points, in addition to 30 bakeries and all of our nutrition sites,” Ross Smith, WFP’s emergencies director, told Reuters on Friday.
The WFP hopes to begin scaling up its deliveries early next week, but this will depend on the withdrawal of Israeli forces so that humanitarian security zones can be expanded. The Israeli military said aid trucks operated by the UN and “approved” donors would be allowed to enter Gaza.
The trucks will primarily include food, medical equipment, shelter supplies, as well as fuel and materials needed to repair water pipes and sewage systems. Access to northern Gaza is critical, the WFP said, with up to 400,000 people having not received assistance for several weeks.
The agency called for improved scanning and approval of aid convoys to speed up the entry of trucks. Unicef said 50,000 children were at risk of acute malnutrition and needed immediate treatment. Unicef also aims to provide a million blankets to every child in Gaza and hopes to deliver wheelchairs and crutches, which it said were previously blocked.
Unicef and the United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said they had not yet received details about their role during the ceasefire. UNRWA, which is barred from operating in Israel, has urged Israeli authorities to allow it to transport the equivalent of 6,000 truckloads of aid, including enough food to feed the population for three months, to Gaza from Jordan and Egypt.
