UNITED NATIONS, Jul 18 (APP): UN humanitarian officials issued a fresh alert on Thursday about having to cut rations in Gaza where fresh evacuation orders by the Israeli military have enforced \u201cthe largest displacements since October\u201d across the war-ravaged enclave.<\/p>\n
In addition to deep concerns about all those forcibly uprooted from their shelters and homes, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the delivery of lifesaving rations has become even more difficult than it was already.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany distribution points have had to shut down. Only a few bakeries remain operational,\u201d the UN agency said in a post on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urgently need increased deliveries of food and greater capacity to deliver hot meals,\u201d WFP added, as Israeli military action forces food distribution points in Gaza to close and relocate.<\/p>\n
In July so far, WFP has provided more than 600,000 people in Gaza with food assistance, and more than 500,000 people with food parcels and wheat flour.<\/p>\n
It has reported having to further reduce rations in Gaza city to ensure broader coverage for people who have been newly displaced, according to update from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, which also reported that the Israeli military on Wednesday stopped all aid missions from going north of Wadi Gaza, the river valley which divides the enclave in two.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means humanitarian workers were unable to reach any of the hundreds of thousands of people in need. It also made it impossible for them to collect supplies from the northern entry point of Erez West,\u201d OCHA said, referring to the border crossing between northern Gaza and Israel that is also known as Beit Lahiya.<\/p>\n
The UN aid office also noted multiple reports of military activity along the Israeli military road that separates north and south Gaza, as some 450 people crossed from Gaza city in the north to Deir al Balah governorate 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) further south on Wednesday alone, compared to just over 1,000 last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of those new arrivals told aid workers that Israeli troops had shot at people trying to cross, forcing some of them to turn around,\u201d the UN aid agency said, while citing additional unverified reports of people south of Wadi Gaza \u201cbeing shot at while waiting for their relatives to cross into Deir al Balah\u201d.<\/p>\n
The UN food agency said that as of 14 July, 11 of the 18 bakeries it supports remained operational in Gaza providing support to several thousand families every day: seven in Deir al Balah, two in Gaza city and two in north Gaza.<\/p>\n
\u201cWFP still needs to deliver more fuel to the bakeries and other services, so they can provide emergency support to displaced families,\u201d it said in an update to UN News, media website.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasic commodities are available in markets in southern and central Gaza \u2013 but are unaffordable for many people \u2013 the shortage of commercial goods means food is sold at astronomical prices.\u201d<\/p>\n
In July, WFP reported working with 80 community kitchens across central and southern Gaza and Gaza city to distribute hot meals in Khan Younis, Deir El Balah, Gaza city and Rafah, reaching almost 185,000 people in total.<\/p>\n
In June by contrast, WFP distributed an average of 400,000 meals daily across central and southern Gaza, as well as Gaza city.<\/p>\n
So far in July WFP has delivered more than 1,000 trucks carrying at least 7,600 metric tons of food and non-food items into Gaza through West Erez crossing in the far north, Gate 96 south of Gaza city and Kerem Shalom in the south, on behalf of humanitarian partners. Of those, 584 WFP trucks carried 6,800 metric tons of WFP aid.<\/p>\n
Most people in Gaza have received food parcels and wheat flour \u2013 albeit less than normal \u2013 but the UN food agency reported having to reduce rations because of \u201climited\u201d stocks in central and southern Gaza throughout July, with some areas receiving only wheat flour.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo address shortages in commodities, rations were provided to ensure all kitchens have enough supplies for at least one week. Unless more commodities are received, hot meal partners will deplete stocks in days,\u201d the UN agency warned.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, OCHA reported that between 7 October 2023 and 15 July 2024, 554 Palestinians have now been killed there, in addition to two more who died of wounds sustained prior to 7 October. The total includes 539 killed by Israeli forces, 10 by Israeli settlers and seven more where it is unclear whether the perpetrators were Israeli forces or settlers.<\/p>\n
And in a sign of the continuing escalation on Lebanon\u2019s border area with northern Israel, the UN Children\u2019s Fund, UNICEF, condemned a deadly airstrike on Tuesday.in which three more children were killed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe killing of three more children by an airstrike today as they were reportedly playing in front of their home in South Lebanon is horrific,\u201d the UN agency\u2019s Lebanon office said on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren must be protected under IHL [International Humanitarian Law]. \u201cOur thoughts with their families. More children are at risk as long as the violence continues<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 18 (APP): UN humanitarian officials issued a fresh alert on Thursday about having to cut rations in Gaza where fresh evacuation orders by the Israeli military have enforced \u201cthe largest displacements since October\u201d across the war-ravaged enclave. In addition to deep concerns […]<\/p>\n
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