GAZA, (PIC)
The World Food Program (WFP) said on Friday that it has not been able to transport any food supplies to the Gaza Strip since March 2, due to the Israeli occupation’s closure of all border crossings for humanitarian and commercial supplies.
Earlier this month, the Israeli occupation closed all crossings leading to Gaza to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid.
The UN program explained that commercial food prices have been rising since the closure of the crossings, with the prices of some basic items such as flour, sugar and vegetables increasing by more than 200 percent, according to the UN News website.
The program noted that some local traders have started withholding goods due to uncertainty about the arrival of new supplies.
It said it currently has enough food stocks to support kitchens and bakeries operating in the Gaza Strip for up to a month, as well as ready-to-eat food parcels to support 550,000 people for two weeks.
The UN program said it is currently supporting 33 kitchens across Gaza serving a total of 180,000 hot meals per day. The program also supports 25 bakeries, but on March 8, six of the bakeries were forced to close due to a lack of cooking gas.
The WFP also has about 63,000 metric tons of food destined for Gaza, equivalent to two to three months’ worth of distributions for 1.1 million people, pending permission to enter Gaza, according to the UN.
It added that it delivered more than 40,000 metric tons of food to Gaza and provided life-saving assistance to 1.3 million people during the 42-day ceasefire that began on January 19.
The program also provided more than $6.8 million in cash assistance to support nearly 135,000 people, helping families buy much-needed items.
