The World Food Programme estimates around 1.1 million people across Gaza, around half of the population, are “struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation.”
Israel has re-opened the Erez crossing to allow aid more aid to enter the north of Gaza.
International aid organisations have reported a widespread humanitarian disaster in the strip, warning that hundreds of thousands of people in northern Gaza are at risk of famine.
“This is the first day that we re-opened Erez crossing for a robust and continuous route for entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” said Colone Moshe Tetro, the head of the COGAT Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, “We are facing this challenge every day.”
Earlier this week, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said there had been some progress towards averting “an entirely preventable, human-made famine” in the north.
The World Food Programme estimates around 1.1 million people across Gaza, around half of the population, are “struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had made “meaningful progress” towards getting more aid into Gaza.
He visited the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to discuss ways to expand the humanitarian operation.
“One of the remaining challenges is making sure that when assistance gets through, it can be effectively distributed within Gaza. And we have to make sure that it’s not interfered with or impeded by Hamas,” he said.
Blinken, on his seventh diplomatic tour of the Middle East since October 7, was making renewed efforts to secure a ceasefire deal and an exchange of hostages for prisoners.
He urged Hamas to accept a deal presented by mediators in Egypt which would see 33 hostages held by Hamas released for a larger number of Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons.
The deal also includes a suspension of hostilities with the possibility of steps towards a permanent ceasefire later.
Blinken said Israel had made “important compromises” with the latest truce deal and that Hamas “should take it.”
Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said his country was determined to secure the release of the hostages and warned the military was “preparing to carry out any operational mission in the Rafah area.”