Gaza Herald – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday that ending famine in Gaza will take time and demand massive, unrestricted aid deliveries, calling for all border crossings to be opened immediately to “flood the enclave with food.”
WFP spokesperson Abeer Atefa told reporters in Geneva that hunger remains catastrophic despite the ceasefire, with only 560 tons of food entering daily, far below what’s needed for Gaza’s 2.3 million people. She said the agency currently operates just five distribution centers but aims to expand to 145 to reach those on the brink of starvation.
The agency urged Israel to reopen northern crossings, stressing that their closure blocks access to the most devastated and hungry areas, including Gaza City, where almost no food aid has reached so far.
Meanwhile, UNRWA warned that Gaza’s food prices have soared to record highs after Israel destroyed or seized nearly all farmland, leaving thousands of families without income. The agency emphasized that aid must flow without restriction until Gaza’s agricultural sector is rebuilt.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israel’s war of extermination has destroyed 94% of the Strip’s farmland, reducing agricultural output from 405,000 tons a year to just 28,000. Damages to the agricultural sector over two years of bombardment have reached $2.8 billion, the report added.
The WFP said the ceasefire has provided only a narrow window to accelerate aid delivery, but unless the blockade is fully lifted, Gaza’s famine will deepen into one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in modern history.
