The World Food Programme, a key supplier of food to the Gaza Strip, declared today that it has “exhausted all its supplies” in the Palestinian territory, where Israel has halted the entry of all humanitarian assistance since early March.
“Today, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered its final food stock to kitchens providing hot meals in Gaza. These kitchens are anticipated to run out of food within days,” an official stated.
“For over seven weeks, no humanitarian or commercial goods have entered Gaza, as all major border crossings remain closed. This marks the longest closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced, worsening already vulnerable markets and food systems,” the UN agency reported to journalists.
Since the onset of the conflict with Hamas in October 2023, Israel has prevented humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinian territories, beginning on March 2. The Israeli government accuses the Islamist group of misusing such aid, a claim that Hamas denies.
With more than 18 months of intense conflict, the UN warns of an impending humanitarian disaster for the 2.4 million residents of the Gaza Strip.
“For weeks, hot meal kitchens have been the only reliable source of food assistance for the people of Gaza. While they only serve half the population and address just 25% of daily food needs, they are providing critical support,” the WFP emphasized.
The UN agency noted that the 25 bakeries it supported in Gaza had to shut down on March 31 due to a lack of wheat flour and cooking oil.
Furthermore, the WFP reported that over 116,000 tons of food aid—“sufficient to supply one million people for up to four months”—is currently stored near humanitarian access points, awaiting entry into the region.
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