ROME/ PNN/
The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that it has not been able to bring any food supplies into the Gaza Strip since 2 March due to Israel's closure of all border crossing points for both humanitarian and commercial supplies.
Israel, the occupying power, has closed all border crossings to Gaza to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid since almost the beginning of March.
“Commercial food prices have begun to surge since the 2 March closure of border crossings," the WFP statement said.
“In some cases, prices on staple items such as flour, sugar, and vegetables have increased over 200 percent. Traders have begun withholding goods due to uncertainty over when new supplies would arrive.”
The WFP said that it “currently has sufficient food stocks 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,” while noting that right now it “supports 33 kitchens across Gaza providing a total of 180,000 hot meals daily.”
It added that it also supports a total of 25 bakeries, “but on March 8 six of these bakeries were forced to close due to a shortage of cooking gas.”
It affirmed that it “has approximately 63,000 metric tons of food destined for Gaza, stored or in transit in the region. This is equivalent two to three months of distributions for 1.1 million people, pending authorization to enter Gaza.”
The WFP clarified that in the 42 days of the ceasefire starting 19 January, it “delivered over 40,000 metric tons of food into Gaza and provided lifesaving assistance to 1.3 million people. In addition, over US$ 6.8 million in electronic cash assistance (e-wallets) supported nearly 135,000 people (26,600 households), helping families to buy what they needed most.”
Israel, the occupying power, waged a genocidal aggression on the Gaza Strip during the period from October 7, 2023 to January 19, 2025, killing 48,524 Palestinians, mostly children and women, and injuring 111,955 others.
Moreover, over 14,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
The WFP voiced growing concerns about “growing food insecurity in the West Bank, where military activity, displacement, and movement restrictions are disrupting markets and limiting access to food.”
It said that “Tens of thousands of people in the West Bank have been displaced since mid-January.”
“These disruptions and the worsening economic conditions over the last year are putting upward pressure on prices. With rising displacement and unemployment, even basic food items have become unaffordable for many families,” it elaborated.
It pointed out that it was supporting more than 190,000 people with monthly cash vouchers and has provided one-off assistance to 16,000 people most in need.
WFP announced that it “needs US$265 million in funding for the next six months for operations to assist 1.4 million people in Gaza and the West Bank.”
