No food deliveries to Gaza as border closures continue

There is also a shortage of fuel, which is affecting the movement of vehicles across Gaza and slowing down first responders, Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York.

“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes that oxygen supplies and electricity generators are also critically needed to maintain life-saving operations at hospitals in Gaza,” he said.

“At least two dozen additional generators are needed for health centres, as the ones currently in use need maintenance and spare parts,” he added.

Rising food prices and fuel shortages

Within the enclave, the World Food Programme (WFP) has food stocks sufficient to support active kitchens and bakeries for up to one month, as well as ready-to-eat food parcels to support 550,000 people for two weeks, Mr. Dujarric said.

To stretch supplies, the agency is reducing the quantity of food parcels provided to families – a measure it had already implemented before the ceasefire, he added.

A total of 25 bakeries are supported by the agency, but on 8 March, six of these bakeries were forced to close due to a shortage of cooking gas.

The closure of border crossings has also triggered a sharp rise in food prices, with costs for staples such as flour and sugar rising, further limiting access.

Rising displacement

Meanwhile, the situation in the West Bank continues to deteriorate.

OCHA has recorded a surge in settler violence in parts of the West Bank, “causing casualties, property damage and placing communities at high risk of displacement,” reported Mr. Dujarric.

The Office also noted a sharp increase in the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank over the past week and a half, with the number of structures demolished during the first 10 days of Ramadan this year having already exceeded the total for all of Ramadan in 2024.

Since Monday, operations in Jenin city also intensified, with more than 500 people displaced from three neighbourhoods in the eastern part of the city, he added.

Urgent funding needed

WFP is supporting over 190,000 people with monthly cash vouchers and has provided one-off assistance to thousands of those most in need.

However, the agency requires $265 million in funding over the next six months to sustain operations that assist 1.4 million people in Gaza and the West Bank.