UN Aid Teams Ready in Gaza If Peace Deal Is Reached

Smoke rises from a bombed building in Gaza City.

UN aid teams in Gaza are “ready to go,” with thousands of tonnes of supplies on standby to alleviate famine, widespread hunger, and malnutrition — if an agreement is reached on the US peace plan in the coming days.

That’s according to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, who briefed correspondents in New York on Monday as indirect talks got underway in Egypt, which has been mediating negotiations along with Qatar and the United States to end the war between Israel and Hamas.

On Friday, Hamas said it had agreed to significant parts of the 20-point US peace proposal, including the release of all Israeli hostages, both alive and deceased, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

One of the US proposals would allow the entry and distribution of aid into Gaza “without interference” from either party, through the United Nations, its agencies, and the Red Crescent.

Mr. Dujarric said, in response to questions, that the UN is “ready to go as soon as we get the green light… There are thousands of metric tonnes in the pipeline, ready to enter.”

Qatari and Egyptian negotiators were reportedly holding meetings with delegations from both Israel and Hamas in Sharm El-Sheikh late on Monday, as hopes rose for a possible end to the conflict, which began exactly two years ago with the Hamas-led terror attacks on communities in southern Israel.

Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued despite a call from US President Donald J. Trump to pause the bombing campaign. Local health authorities reported that 21 Palestinians were killed on Sunday, with 96 injured.

The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported a reduction in air strikes in recent days — though shelling and gunfire have continued.

Mr. Dujarric said that UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher had allocated $9 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on Monday to ensure adequate fuel supplies to keep life-saving services running.

“Humanitarian access and movement across the Strip remain challenging,” Mr. Dujarric added.

“Yesterday, eight missions that required coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated, but six other missions were denied, and five had to be cancelled by the organizers.”

The World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered wheat flour to bakeries this month, which are “currently working up to 22 hours a day and producing around 100,000 bundles of bread daily.”

The UN and humanitarian partners prepared and distributed 885,000 meals through 167 kitchens across Gaza on Saturday. However, only 12 kitchens are operating in the north.

“We and our partners stress the need for unimpeded and sustained access to all parts of Gaza so that aid can reach people wherever they are,” said the UN spokesperson.

Displacement sites and shelters in the south are overcrowded, forcing some families to stay at garbage dumping sites such as Al Amal, where around 70 tents have been set up over the past few days.

OCHA stressed that UN aid teams and partners continue to do all they can to meet people’s urgent needs across the Strip, despite the ongoing violence, limited supplies, and restricted access.