The United Nations stated it aims to assist the maximum number of hungry individuals in Gaza following Israel's declaration to create safe land corridors for humanitarian aid.
The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) stated that it has sufficient food available in, or en route to, the area to provide for the 2.1 million residents of the Gaza Strip for nearly three months.
UN humanitarian affairs coordinator Tom Fletcher stated on X that he welcomed the declaration of "humanitarian pauses."
"Engaged with our teams on the ground who will make every effort to assist as many hungry people as possible within this timeframe," he stated.
WFP stated that the pauses and corridors would enable emergency food to be delivered securely.
"Food assistance is the sole genuine method for most individuals in Gaza to obtain meals," it stated in a declaration.
It mentioned that a third of the population had gone without food for several days, with 470,000 people in Gaza "facing conditions similar to famine," which are resulting in fatalities.
The World Food Programme stated that over 62,000 metric tons of food aid are required each month to support the entire population of Gaza, which numbers two million.
The agency mentioned that, in addition to Sunday's "pause" announcement, Israel had committed to permitting more trucks to enter Gaza with faster approvals, along with "assurances of no military forces or shootings near the convoys."
"Collectively, we hope these actions will enable a rapid increase in essential food aid to reach those in need without additional delays," it stated.
– ‘Dystopian landscape’ –
The United Nations human rights official, Volker Turk, stated that Israel, as the occupying authority in Gaza, had a responsibility to guarantee that the population received adequate food supplies.
"Children are suffering and perishing before our very eyes. Gaza has become a dystopian scene marked by deadly assaults and complete devastation," he stated in a declaration.
He denounced an organization supported by the US and Israel, known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which started providing food supplies in late May when UN-led initiatives were hindered.
Turk stated that the GHF's "chaotic, military-style distribution centers were 'completely failing to provide the necessary humanitarian aid in terms of both volume and reach.'"
His office states that Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 Palestinians who were seeking food assistance in Gaza since the GHF began its operations — almost three-quarters of them near GHF locations.
– ‘Starvation crisis’ –
"The suffering of people in Gaza due to starvation must stop immediately," said UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi on X.
Positioned alongside UN and NGO partners, prepared to provide critical, life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands facing potential death.
Fletcher's United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated on Friday that the situation on the ground in Gaza is "already dire" and continuing to worsen.
It reported that the food shortage is worsening.
OCHA stated that UN teams were ready to increase the flow of supplies into the Palestinian territory immediately upon receiving authorization.
"If Israel opens the checkpoints, permits fuel and equipment to enter, and ensures the safe operation of humanitarian workers, the UN will speed up the distribution of food aid, healthcare services, clean water, waste disposal, nutritional supplies, and shelter materials," it stated.
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