Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
• The dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza require a significant increase in the delivery of life-saving aid, to avoid a fully-fledged famine. Children are dying of hunger and thirst. One in three children below the age of two is acutely malnourished.
• WFP is providing food to more than a million people in Gaza each month: ready-to-eat food parcels, hot meals, wheat flour and specialized products to address malnutrition. Most of this has been for southern Gaza but little for the north. To halt famine, daily deliveries to the north are needed.
• In March, WFP delivered around 900 mt of food via six convoys into northern Gaza, utilizing a new route that has increased the frequency of deliveries. WFP also conducted five airdrops carrying 20 mt of food.
• These efforts fall far short of the amount of aid needed to prevent a famine among the population.
• Following Israel’s announcement on the opening of a new crossing for humanitarian aid to northern Gaza and the possibility of a maritime corridor, WFP is involved in urgent discussions with the authorities to clarify security and logistics arrangements.
• As needs are soaring, WFP requires around USD 740 million to sustain the emergency response for up to 1.1 million affected people monthly until the end of the year.
Situation Update
• Six months into the war, Gaza is facing unprecedented levels of hunger and displacement.
• Over 90 percent of the population is displaced and a record number of people – over half a million – are on the verge of famine.
• Rafah, in southern Gaza, is densely populated and currently the primary entry point for food and other supplies. Any ground offensive would seriously disrupt relief efforts.