PALESTINE

Fri 17 Oct 2025 3:19 pm - Jerusalem Time

World Food Programme: Combating hunger in Gaza will take time, and we call for the immediate opening of all crossings.

The United Nations World Food Programme warned today, Friday, that combating famine in the Gaza Strip "will take time," issuing an urgent call to open all crossings leading to the besieged territory to "flood it with food" and aid, in a move seen as a true test of the seriousness of the recent ceasefire agreement.

This UN call comes just days after the US-brokered ceasefire agreement went into effect, providing a "slim opportunity," according to the programme, to move and attempt to reach hundreds of thousands of families who have suffered for months from the blockade, displacement, and hunger.

The United Nations officially declared a famine in parts of the Palestinian territory since the end of August, making the speed of aid delivery a matter of life or death.

Programme spokesperson Abir Atifa confirmed that the programme acted quickly and took advantage of the ceasefire to transport nearly 3,000 tons of food to the territory through the Karam Abu Salem and Kerem Shalom crossings, using 230 trucks that entered between Saturday and Wednesday.

Despite these efforts, Atifa emphasized that "the quantities are still less than what we need, but we are getting closer" to the required level, noting that the goal is to operate 30 bakeries across the territory, of which only nine are currently functioning.

Politically, the World Food Programme's call to open all crossings "to flood Gaza with supplies" represents direct diplomatic pressure on the occupying entity, as it unequivocally links the credibility of the ceasefire agreement to the immediate and unconditional implementation of the humanitarian clause.

The World Food Programme asserts that its plan aims to reach 1.6 million people inside Gaza over the next three months, with a particular focus on families returning to the northern part of the territory.

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World Food Programme: Combating hunger in Gaza will take time, and we call for the immediate opening of all crossings.

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