The WFP warned that greater access is urgently needed to prevent famine from spreading.

Speaking in Geneva on Tuesday, WFP Senior Regional Communications Officer Abeer Etefa said the agency is now averaging around 750 tonnes of food deliveries daily, an improvement from before the ceasefire, but still well below the target of 2 000 tonnes per day.

“Unless all border crossing points can be used, reaching this target is almost impossible,” Etefa cautioned. Currently, only the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings in southern Gaza are open, while extensive destruction has made it difficult to transport aid to the north, where famine was declared in August.

“We need Erez, we need Zikkim, we need these border crossing points to open,” she stressed, adding that large-scale convoys must reach Gaza City, where conditions remain dire.

The WFP has reinstated 26 of its planned 145 food distribution points across the enclave, with communities responding positively to resumed deliveries. “People are showing up in large numbers, grateful for the efficiency and the dignified way in which they can obtain food rations,” Etefa said.

However, the situation remains fragile, with many families rationing supplies out of fear that the ceasefire may collapse. “It is a fragile peace,” she warned.

Food prices also remain prohibitively high, putting basic items out of reach for most people. The WFP has rolled out digital payments to help 140 000 of the most food-insecure households buy food locally, with plans to double that number in the coming weeks.

Etefa reiterated calls for the entry of commercial supplies to complement humanitarian assistance. “Humanitarian aid alone will not solve severe malnutrition or provide a complete food basket,” she said.

“Sustaining the ceasefire is vital,” she concluded. “It’s the only way we can save lives and push back on the famine in northern Gaza.”

–UN/ChannelAfrica–