Gaza Still Needs A Lot Of Help Overcoming The Hunger Crisis

PHOTOS OF UN News/Palestinians in northern Gaza await food assistance as humanitarian aid trucks arrived in the region

JAKARTA - A stable long-term aid supply is needed to address the increasingly severe hunger crisis in Gaza.

Israel made air jumps and announced a series of steps over the weekend, including a daily humanitarian break in three Gaza regions and a new safe corridor for aid convoys.

On Monday, July 28, Gaza's Ministry of Health said 14 people had died in the past 24 hours from hunger and malnutrition.

The total death toll from hunger from war was 147, including 89 children, mostly in just the last few weeks.

The World Food Program (WFP) says 60 aid trucks have been delivered, but this number is still less than Gaza's need.

"Sixty trucks are clearly not enough. So, our current target, every day, is to send 100 trucks to Gaza," WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, Samer Abdel Jaber, told Reuters.

The WFP says nearly 470,000 people in Gaza are experiencing conditions such as hunger, with 90,000 women and children needing special nutritional care.

"I can't say that in a week we will really be able to avoid risks. This must be something sustainable and measurable," said Abdel Jaber.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said aid supplies would remain maintained, both as Israel was negotiating a ceasefire and fighting in Gaza.

The WFP says it has 170,000 metric tons of food in the region, outside of Gaza, which would be enough to feed the entire population over the next three months if it received permission to take it to the region.

COGAT, Israel's military aid coordinating body, said more than 120 trucks were distributed in Gaza on Sunday, July 27, by the United Nations and international organizations.

However, several trucks that managed to enter Gaza were seized by desperate Palestinians, and some more by armed looting, witnesses said.

"Currently aid comes for those who are strong, who can run fast, who can push others, and grab a box or sack of flour. The chaos must be stopped and protection for the trucks must be given," said Emad, 58, who once owned a wooden factory in Gaza City.