The World Food Program Calls Having Food Supply For 1.1 Million People In Gaza, But Needs Access

WFP provides food assistance to Palestinians. (Source: WFP/Ali Jadallah)

JAKARTA - The World Food Program says it has enough food for 1.1 million people in Gaza, but they need access to the Palestinian enclave.

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain told CNN the UN agency had been collecting food for 1.1 million people over three months outside Gaza.

"We just need to put it in," McCain said.

"That's why this crossing is so important, and it takes more crossings," he explained.

McCain stressed the importance of Israel's decision to temporarily open the Erez crossing, saying it was important for relief operations.

"We as humanitarian activists must be able to carry out our humanitarian principles and provide assistance in such a way," he explained.

On Friday, the Israeli government revealed plans to temporarily open the Erez crossing and Ashdod port, to allow supplies of humanitarian aid to Gaza. But plans to deliver humanitarian goods to Gaza on Sunday via the Erez crossing were delayed.

"It's more than just getting food," McCain said.

"It's about the type of food we get and make sure that we can get food for adults, and most importantly, food for children who really need today's nutrition," he said.

Earlier, the WFP said malnutrition among children was spreading very quickly, and one in three children under the age of two is now experiencing acute malnutrition, when the Hamas-Israeli war in Gaza had entered its sixth month.

The WFP said overall, the number of people in Gaza who face hunger has doubled in less than three months, from 570.000 in December to 1.1 million today, quoted from Euronews.

They say they provide food for more than one million people in the trapped region every month, despite the enormous challenges.

Most of the food is distributed in southern and central Gaza, and very little aid reaches people elsewhere.

The WFP said it needed humanitarian staff and supplies to move freely and safely across Gaza. They urged Israel to allow more routes to Gaza, including from the north and the use of the Ashdod port.