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World Food Programme stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel’s blockade, UN agency says
The UN food agency has warned its food stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel’s blockade.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.
In a statement, it said it had delivered its last remaining food stocks on Friday, with kitchens it supports expected to fully run out of food in the coming days.
The WFP said it has 116,000 tonnes of food, enough to feed one million people for up to four months, ready to be brought into Gaza as soon as Israel lifts its nearly eight-week blockade.
Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than two million people rely primarily on charity kitchens for food after other sources shut down due to the sustained closure of crossings into the enclave, according to the UN.
Palestinians receive food from a charity kitchen. Pic: Reuters/Mahmoud Issa
A charity kitchen among the rubble in Gaza. Pic: Reuters/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. Pic: Reuters
Such kitchens, the WFP said, have been the “only consistent source of food” for the people of Gaza for weeks.
The WFP distributes 644,000 meals a day, according to its spokesperson, and in its absence, it isn’t clear how many kitchens will be operating in Gaza.
Speaking on his way to Rome for the Pope’s funeral, US President Donald Trump claimed he had pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get more food and medicine into Gaza.
The deepening crisis takes place against the backdrop of continued Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
At least 78 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
It comes after a Sky News investigation into Israeli killings of aid workers found inconsistencies in the Israel Defence Forces’ version of events.
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Sky News investigation reveals how Israel’s deadly attack on aid workers unfolded
Israel’s blockade
Israel is yet to comment on the latest warnings by the WFP.
It cut off the entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies on 2 March and resumed bombing Gaza two weeks later, ending a two-month ceasefire.
Israel made the decision to stop aid going into Gaza after Hamas rejected an Israeli request to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
A girl waits with other Palestinians to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. Pic: Reuters/Mahmoud Issa
While Hamas wanted to move on to the second phase of the ceasefire, working towards a permanent peace, Israel wanted to immediately release more hostages, extending the then-current phase.
Responding to previous criticisms of its blockade, Israel has claimed Hamas hijacks the aid trucks and “turns aid into weapons”.
Humanitarian workers deny there is a diversion of supplies, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution.
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The UK government previously said that Israel was breaking international law by stopping aid from getting into Gaza.
With no new food entering Gaza, many items have disappeared from the markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables.
Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, now unaffordable for much of the population.
Malnutrition is already surging and many leading charities have repeatedly warned of a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
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The latest round of fighting began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas and other militant groups surged across the southern Israeli border, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages.
Most have since been released, but the release of those remaining has proven a sticking point in any ceasefire efforts.
More than 51,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.