WFP sounds alarm: urgent action needed as food insecurity in Gaza reaches critical levels

Earlier this month, an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report already warned that by November more than 90 percent of Gaza’s population will face severe food insecurity. It forecast that a large group would be in an “emergency phase” of need, while others would face “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity. Now, as the situation in northern Gaza continues to deteriorate, the likelihood of a larger group being impacted by famine will surely increase unless conditions on the ground improve.

Restrictions on humanitarian aid coming into Gaza are severe. During the month of October, only 5,000 metric tons of food have been delivered into Gaza, amounting to just 20 percent of basic food assistance for the 1.1 million people who depend on WFP’s lifesaving support.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s food systems have largely collapsed due to the destruction of factories, croplands and shops. Markets are nearly empty as most commercial channels are no longer functioning.

WFP currently has approximately 94,000 metric tons of food - enough to feed one million people for four months - ready to go to Gaza with 46,596 metric tons positioned in Ashdod port, Egypt, and Jordan. WFP stands ready to bring the urgently needed supplies into Gaza but we need more border crossing points to be open and for them to be secure.

WFP is also deeply concerned about new Israeli legislation affecting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA is indispensable in providing lifesaving aid and social services in Gaza. If implemented, this decision will have devastating consequences for the most vulnerable people.

To effectively roll out meaningful operations and deliver crucial food assistance, the UN food agency is calling for more secure and functional entry points into Gaza, including: 

• Ashdod port: This crossing requires an expedited cargo clearing process and scanning procedures.  Currently, the clearance of cargo and dispatches takes approximately a month from arrival to release from the port. 
• The Jordan Corridor: Currently operating at low frequency with limited availability of trucks; would WFP’s operations require increasing the number of trucks and the frequency of convoys from Jordan to Gaza from three convoys of 35 trucks per week to daily convoys of 50 trucks.

At the crossing points, WFP calls for the following:

• Kissufim: The opening of the Kissufim crossing point would support operations south of Gaza with direct access to Deir Al Balah. However, the opening's potential will not be fully realized without allowing more drivers to operate on the fence road. 
• Karni Crossing: Karni has yet to be opened as a depot/platform to enable dispatches to the North and South, particularly to serve Gaza City effectively.  
• Zikim/ Erez: Currently these crossing points are alternating, with only one crossing opening at a time; both crossings should be open simultaneously to double the potential throughput.  
• Kerem Shalom/ Gate 96 route: This is currently operational as a crossing point/ platform to support operations in the South and North via the extended Fence Road. However, WFP is highly impacted by the insecurity on Salaheddin Road and requires critical improvements to the security environment to permit safe passage of aid.  

Once inside Gaza, WFP needs immediate improvement in the operating environment through the following:

• Increased Driver Capacity: Only 30 vetted drivers are allowed to operate on the fence road at present. This number needs to increase to between 100 and 150 drivers to allow for a constant flow of aid from Kerem Shalom into Gate 96 and beyond.  
• Access (north and south) within Gaza: Supplies routed via Zikim/ Eres West/ Gate 96 (fence road) are prohibited from transiting to the south. To improve internal aid flows, the movement of aid from the north to the south and vice versa at checkpoints must be facilitated.  
• Trucking Capacity: WFP needs to increase its trucking capacity throughout Gaza, and stands ready to do so, but requires that the VAT exemption process be expedited.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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