Humanitarian Lifelines: Aid Trucks Stream In as Ceasefire Begins

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) initiates the deployment of aid to more than 1 million individuals

WFP vehicles have commenced their entry into Gaza following the enactment of the ceasefire. Trucks will be arriving from Egypt and through Ashdod, Israel.

• The initial WFP vehicles are making their way from Egypt to Gaza. WFP aims to send at least 150 trucks into Gaza daily, contingent on conditions being favorable.
• WFP intends to utilize every accessible border crossing point to deliver supplies into Gaza. Trucks from Jordan and Israel will prioritize reaching individuals in the north, while those from Egypt will assist those in southern Gaza.
• This represents a crucial juncture for the international community to provide for families in Gaza at a large scale. However, the ceasefire is merely the beginning.

WFP appreciates the ceasefire agreed upon and announced on Wednesday, January 15. We stress that this is just the beginning – not the conclusion – of what is required to reach families in Gaza. WFP requires $300 million to address urgent needs in the region over the forthcoming six months. 

• WFP urges all parties to take action to cease any further hostilities and guarantee secure humanitarian access. The conflict has rendered over 2 million individuals entirely reliant on food aid, displaced, and devoid of any income.
• We require all border crossings to be open and operating reliably. Furthermore, it is essential for humanitarian teams to maneuver freely and safely across Gaza to assist those in need.
• If these prerequisites are met, WFP is prepared to increase distribution and provide lifesaving food to over a million individuals in Gaza.
• The requirements in Gaza are colossal. Recovery will necessitate a comprehensive humanitarian response involving all agencies coming together, including UNRWA, to deliver lifesaving aid to 2 million individuals.

WFP possesses adequate food pre-positioned along the borders and en route to Gaza to sustain over a million individuals for three months. UNRWA has sufficient supplies to aid another million. For WFP, this encompasses food parcels, wheat flour, materials for hot meals, and nutritional supplements. 

• WFP is striving to revive what remains of Gaza’s economy. In order to support local stores and empower individuals with choices, WFP intends to broaden its cash and voucher aid to 100,000 individuals (once commercial activities and cash availability permit).
• WFP will also provide assistance to any factories still operational, wheat flour mills, and stores that are able to resume business.
• Employing specialized teams, WFP has initiated the clearing and repair of essential roads and key supply routes to enable quicker aid delivery, on behalf of WFP and humanitarian collaborators.

To significantly influence the food security of individuals in Gaza, WFP requires the international community to enhance funding.

• WFP can dispatch around 1,600 trucks of food each month to enable distributions for over 1 million people. In order to assist everyone in need, UNRWA’s involvement is vital. WFP is dedicated to supporting UNRWA’s food assistance efforts.
• Swift coordination and facilitation of movement into and across Gaza will also be crucial, with free movement necessary between the southern and northern areas of Gaza. All parties must ensure the safe transit of relief and humanitarian personnel throughout Gaza.
• Commercial supply flows to Gaza must be reinstated, and cash liquidity made available to the population so they can purchase fresh food and other essential items.
• Conditions of the ceasefire must be honored.

Provided that commercial supplies of food and other goods are established, and local banks possess the required liquidity, we will also provide cash to families so they can purchase food and other necessities.

• WFP’s objective is to deliver immediate food aid, bolster local food production, replenish bakeries, and furnish nutritional supplements for thousands of children.
• Toreach individuals and create a significant influence, WFP also urgently requires the backing of the global community through funding, enabling us to enhance capacity and maintain our humanitarian workforce.
• Hardly any sustenance has entered the besieged northern region of Gaza for over two months. The frigid winter temperatures and rain are further diminishing people’s chances for survival.
• Food stability in Gaza has been deteriorating, with individuals growing weaker each day. There is nearly no fresh produce (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish), stores are barren, and bakeries have been unable to operate, lacking either fuel, flour, or both.
• The humanitarian response in Gaza has been confronting persistent obstacles and setbacks. The neglect for international humanitarian standards has placed humanitarian personnel, operations, and the populace of Gaza at escalating peril.
• WFP and humanitarian collaborators urge all parties to honor their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and facilitate the secure transit of assistance.

WFP Operations Update

• Thus far this year, WFP has only managed to assist 305,000 individuals in Gaza and 177,000 in the West Bank.
• With resources in Gaza severely constrained, the majority of those reached received hot meals or significantly diminished rations.
• WFP provided 34,683 ready-to-eat meals (RTEs) throughout Gaza, aiding 151,840 displaced individuals. Fewer than 10% of the 1.675 million targeted population received help. In Gaza City, families collected two food parcels.
• Hot dishes were offered from 62 kitchens to 250,000 displaced individuals across Gaza.
• Owing to supply deficits, none of the bakeries in southern and central Gaza have operated for over a month. In Gaza City, five bakeries remain open but have reduced production by 50% due to insufficient fuel, with the available fuel projected to last only two to three days.
• In December, WFP sent over 14,000 metric tons of food into Gaza but encountered difficulties due to instability and looting, leading to diminished stocks in January. To assist more people, WFP further curtailed its rations, reaching 1.4 million individuals, but the majority only received one 25kg bag of wheat flour instead of the full ration of two food parcels and two bags of wheat flour.

This narrative initially appeared on WFP’s Stories on January 19, 2025.