Aid agencies are preparing to bring large amounts of vital aid to starving people in Gaza this weekend, as a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas appeared to be holding.
Another UN aid agency, Unrwa, said it had enough stored food to feed every Palestinian in Gaza for three months.
Aid agencies are hoping Israel will now stick to Trump’s 20-point plan, which said the entry and distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip should “proceed without interference”.
With the UN returning to a lead role in humanitarian assistance, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US- and Israeli-backed private contractor scheme, appeared to be winding down.
According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, more than 500,000 people have returned to Gaza City since the ceasefire.
Aid organizations are getting ready to deliver massive quantities of critical aid to Gaza’s starving population this weekend, as a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant organization Hamas seemed to be holding.
The UN agency for children, Unicef, spokesperson Tess Ingram, stated, “We have received signals that tomorrow will be the day that the scale-up [in aid deliveries] begins in earnest under the ceasefire.”.
Speaking over the phone from Gaza, Ingram stated, “The stakes are really high.”. “The humanitarian crisis persists even though we have a ceasefire, which means the bombardment stops. The scale-up must be completed swiftly and effectively because we still have a famine to combat and diseases are spreading. “.”.
Unicef is urging the reopening of all crossings from Israel into Gaza, according to Ingram, so that trucks can pass through swiftly “without delays or impediments.”.
According to Unrwa, another UN aid organization, it has enough food in stock to feed all Gazans for three months. According to Juliette Touma, its director of communications, aid distribution is “absolutely critical in controlling the spread of famine,” as she stated on Saturday.
In nearby nations like Jordan and Egypt, tens of thousands of tons of supplies are stored. The agreement’s first phase calls for a flood of aid to enter Gaza, and aid organizations are getting ready to deliver roughly 600 truckloads of food and medical supplies every day.
There was a famine in many areas of Gaza as a result of Israel closing entry and exit points during the conflict, effectively cutting off food and medicine.
It is hoped that Israel will now follow Trump’s 20-point plan, which stated that aid distribution and entry into the Gaza Strip should “proceed without interference.”.
The Italian defense minister announced Saturday that the Rafah crossing, which is a vital route for both people and aid trucks to travel between Gaza and Egypt, will reopen on Tuesday. Last year, Israel seized the border post.
Raifah “will be opened alternately in two directions: entry towards Gaza and exit towards Egypt,” according to Guido Crosetto.
The US- and Israeli-backed private contractor program, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, seemed to be coming to an end as the UN took the lead in humanitarian aid. Since it pushed people to food distribution locations where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shot them in large numbers, the program was widely denounced. A UN official referred to it as a “sadistic death trap.”.
It is hoped that the ceasefire will eliminate the daily Israeli bombings that frequently destroyed entire families, stop the famine, and free hundreds of people who have been detained. After Israeli troops retreated to prearranged new positions, tens of thousands of Palestinians who had been displaced in Gaza started to return to the wreckage of their homes on Friday. Since the ceasefire, more than 500,000 people have returned to Gaza City, according to the civil defense agency in Gaza.
According to a security source cited by Israeli Army Radio, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, visited Gaza early on Saturday to witness the Israeli military’s redeployment.
However, there are worries that if pressure is not maintained, the deal might fall through.
In a time of tension, an Israeli attack on Lebanon early on Saturday raised fears of new violence, and previous ceasefires have failed. According to the Lebanese health ministry, one person was killed and seven others were injured when predawn airstrikes hit a building that sold construction vehicles.
The military of Israel said it had hit a location where equipment was kept for use in Hezbollah’s infrastructure reconstruction.
In order to postpone major issues like Hamas’ disarmament and a provision committing Israel to “not occupy” Gaza, the US-led agreement reached this week seeks to end the current conflict gradually.
The agreement stipulates that Hamas must free all Israeli hostages from Gaza within 72 hours of the ceasefire beginning, which is Monday morning. 1,700 Palestinians who were captured during the conflict and detained without being charged will be released by Israel, along with 250 others serving lengthy sentences in its prisons.
Prior to their release, Israel’s prison service announced on Saturday that it had started moving inmates from a number of detention centers to two jails.
Several well-known Palestinian prisoners, including well-known politician Marwan Barghouti, were not listed on a list released by the Israeli government’s official website on Friday.
Many Palestinians view the 66-year-old as a Nelson Mandela-like leader, and supporters say Israel is afraid of his ability to bring the people together and impose meaningful change.
A senior Hamas official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, told the Al Jazeera TV network that the organization is in talks with mediators and is demanding the release of Barghouti and other prominent figures.
