Food distribution was halted after teams faced “chaos and violence” while attempting to enter Gaza City
The United Nations (UN) WFP (World Food Program) announced on Tuesday (February 20, 2024) a renewed suspension of aid distribution in the north of the Gaza Strip. The program said the decision was “not made lightly” but that “the safety” of its agents and those receiving assistance “must be guaranteed.”
Deliveries were suspended for three weeks after a UNRWA truck was attacked. On Sunday (February 18th) things continued again. “As WFP began its route towards Gaza City, the convoy was surrounded by crowds of hungry people near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint,” the agency said.
According to WFP, the plan was to “send 10 trucks of food for seven consecutive days to stem the tide of hunger and desperation and build confidence in communities that there would be enough food for everyone.”
The program claimed that its team was shot at as they attempted to enter Gaza City. “Our team was able to distribute a small amount of food along the way. On Monday [19.fev]the journey of the 2nd train north [da Faixa de Gaza] There was complete chaos and violence due to the breakdown of civil order,” the WFP said.
“Between Khan Younes and Deir al Balah, several trucks were looted and a truck driver was beaten,” he added.
According to the WFP, food and drinking water in the Gaza Strip have become “incredibly scarce” and “diseases are widespread.” The organization said: “People are already dying as a result of hunger.”
The WFP called for a “largescale expansion of the flow of aid” to the north of the Gaza Strip. To achieve this, it will be necessary for “significantly larger quantities of food” to enter the Palestinian enclave “through multiple routes,” the organization said, in addition to opening “transition points” in the region.
“There needs to be a functioning humanitarian reporting system and a stable communication network. And security must be facilitated for both our staff and partners, as well as the people we serve,” WFP said.