The statement was released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

A humanitarian convoy, the first of its kind since the onset of israeli attacks on Gaza two weeks ago, entered the enclave via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. The convoy, comprising 20 trucks carrying life-saving supplies from the UN and the Egyptian Red Crescent, included essential items like tuna, tomato paste, pasta, drinking water, and medical provisions. Hundreds of additional trucks are currently awaiting clearance at the border.

While this initial shipment serves as an urgently needed lifeline to hundreds of thousands of Gazan civilians, particularly women and children, who have faced severe shortages of water, food, medicine, fuel, and other essentials, the UN agencies stress that it is just a modest beginning and insufficient to meet the escalating crisis.

Pre-positioned humanitarian supplies in Gaza have already been depleted, placing vulnerable people at significant risk. The agencies highlight that children are dying at an alarming rate and being denied their fundamental rights to protection, food, water, and healthcare.

The UN agencies are now calling for a humanitarian ceasefire, along with immediate and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Gaza, enabling aid workers to reach civilians in need, save lives, and alleviate further human suffering.

Emphasizing the need for sustained and large-scale humanitarian aid flows, the agencies underscore the importance of upholding the dignity of all Gazans. Their appeals include the provision of secure and consistent access to water, food, healthcare (including sexual and reproductive health), and fuel, as well as the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, such as healthcare facilities.

Furthermore, the UN agencies are advocating for the safeguarding of humanitarian workers in Gaza who are risking their lives in service to others, and they are calling for the utmost respect for international humanitarian law by all parties involved. (ILKHA)