Image Source: BBC
Occupied Gaza Strip – Following the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, United Nations aid agencies are preparing to deliver large-scale humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
The truce has created a crucial opportunity to reach millions of Palestinians who have endured severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential supplies during Israel’s genocide and starvation campaign on the enclave.
UN agencies have been coordinating efforts for weeks, positioning materials and personnel to act as soon as access is granted.
Their priorities include restoring food distribution networks, healthcare, clean water, sanitation, temporary shelters, and education for communities most affected.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said the UN’s plan is “detailed and tested” and ready to scale up within days of the ceasefire taking effect.
“Our supplies, 170,000 metric tons – food, medicine and other supplies – are in place. And our team – courageous and expert and determined – are in place,” he said at UN Headquarters in New York.
Fletcher outlined a 60-day plan to rebuild critical infrastructure and restore essential services. The operation aims to reach 2.1 million people in need of food aid and 500,000 people in need of nutrition.
He said restoring Gaza’s health system, deploying emergency medical teams, and supplying hygiene and shelter materials before winter are top priorities.
He also called for secure and consistent humanitarian access, warning that operational and financial challenges remain significant.
“We need sustained entry of at least 1.9 million litres of fuel every week… relief supplies to come in through multiple corridors… and the security guarantees for those crossings,” he said.
Fletcher noted that only 28% of the US$4 billion required for the 2025 Flash Appeal had been raised so far. “Now is the time to make that generosity count,” he added.
Echoing Calls for Unhindered Access
As the ceasefire takes effect, other UN agencies have stressed that unrestricted entry of aid is essential for the relief plan to succeed. Many border crossings into Gaza remain limited, slowing the delivery of humanitarian supplies.
Juliette Touma, Director of Communications for the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), urged that all border points be opened immediately to allow critical assistance to enter.
“There is little information available on the details or how the agreement will be implemented. However, we call for all crossings into Gaza to be open immediately so that humanitarian supplies can flow into the war-torn enclave,” she said.
UNRWA, which has led relief efforts since the start of the crisis, said its teams are ready to mobilise. In a post on X, Philippe Lazzarini, the agency’s Commissioner-General, confirmed that stockpiles and staff are in place.
“UNRWA has food, medicines and other basic supplies ready to go to Gaza. We have enough to provide food for the entire population for the coming three months,” he said.
He added that reopening schools is also a priority, with “over 660,000 children eagerly waiting to go back to school” and UNRWA teachers “standing ready to help them fulfil that.”
Fletcher said the coming weeks will test the international community’s resolve. “We’ve done it before, and we will do it again,” he said, a message that carries both urgency and hope for the Palestinian people.
