Ceasefire opens a chance to tackle hunger in Gaza - but much more is needed
Assalamu alaikum - A pause in fighting has eased some movement in Gaza, but aid workers warn that stopping the famine will take more than a few trucks and promises.
Aid experts say immediate action is needed to undo extreme hunger that grew worse because of tight restrictions on supplies. A recent UN study estimated about 54,600 children under five in Gaza are acutely malnourished and at higher risk of death without treatment. Gaza’s Health Ministry also reports at least 463 people, including 157 children, have died from hunger-related causes since the war began.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and the largest aid provider in the strip, has been barred from bringing in lorries under its name, though it says it has stockpiles to feed people for a few months. Tess Ingram, communications manager for UNICEF Middle East and North Africa, speaking from Gaza City, emphasizes that screening, treatment, prevention and steady deliveries are all essential.
Since the ceasefire began, teams have better freedom of movement and no longer need permission for every trip the way they did before. That has meant aid can reach places that were cut off for a long time. Some shipments now include items vital to treating and preventing malnutrition.
Ingram and other aid staff stress that it’s not enough to send bulk calories - the food must meet nutritional needs. That means bringing in things that were blocked for months, like meat and poultry, a wider range of fruits and vegetables, dairy, and special therapeutic foods. UNICEF also provides preventive liquid nutrients and micronutrient pastes for pregnant women and young children.
Those supplements are given after screening at outpatient centres. But many centres were damaged or abandoned: Gaza City had 45 centres in August, and by early October that number had dropped to seven. With over 300,000 people reported to have moved from south to north recently, there is an urgent need to screen as many as possible and to set up or move treatment centres where people are now living.
Aid agencies say rebuilding the delivery system will take time. Ingram says she’s hopeful about the improved access, but cautious: the increase in aid must be sustained. She and others want to see hundreds of lorries coming in regularly before they can be confident the situation will improve.
UNRWA’s spokesman warned that months of being blocked pushed people who were already starving into famine. Bringing operations back to needed scale will require allowing organisations like UNRWA to operate fully and a big, consistent increase in supplies.
May Allah make it easier for relief to reach those in need and protect the families affected. Insha'Allah, with steady access, proper nutrition and rebuilt services, the worst of the famine can be reversed - but it will take time and a real, sustained effort from the international community and local responders.
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