WFP warns of food crisis in Gaza as aid blockade continues amid ongoing conflict
The ongoing conflict has severely impacted food assistance, leaving hot meal kitchens as the only lifeline for many residents.
The UN's World Food Programme on Friday warned it has depleted all its food stocks in war-ravaged Gaza, where the entry of humanitarian aid has been blocked by Israel since March 2.
"Today, WFP delivered its last remaining food stocks to hot meals kitchens in the Gaza Strip. These kitchens are expected to fully run out of food in the coming days", WFP, one of the main providers of food assistance in Gaza, said in a statement.
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After 18 months of war, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA on Tuesday said the situation in Gaza "is probably the worst" now.
Israel blocked the entry of all aid into the Palestinian territory of around 2.4 million people days before it resumed its aerial and ground offensive after the collapse of a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.
"For weeks, hot meal kitchens have been the only consistent source of food assistance for people in Gaza. Despite reaching just half the population with only 25 percent of daily food needs, they have provided a critical lifeline," the WFP said Friday.
The UN agency added that all 25 WFP-supported bakeries in Gaza were forced to close on March 31 as wheat flour and cooking oil ran out.
"No humanitarian or commercial supplies have entered Gaza for more than seven weeks as all main border crossing points remain closed", it added.
"This is the longest closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced, exacerbating already fragile markets and food systems."
At least 1,978 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel resumed its assault in mid-March, bringing the overall death toll of the war to 51,355, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
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During the attack, Palestinian militants also abducted 251 people to Gaza, 58 of whom are still held captive there, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
