UN: Gaza humanitarian scale-up under way but access, customs and crossings are impeding relief
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
UN briefers said partners have distributed winter items, bedding and food parcels to hundreds of thousands in Gaza but warned that impediments — limited crossings, customs and registration requirements — are restricting the full scale-up of aid.
A United Nations spokesperson told reporters that humanitarian scale-up in Gaza is underway but faces continuing impediments that limit delivery. The briefing said partners distributed winter clothing, hundreds of bedding kits, tents and kitchen sets and provided services ranging from psychological support to legal consultations to about 1,100 people at certain locations.
The spokesperson said monthly food parcels reached more than 60% of Gaza's population last month — "that's about 1,300,000 people out of 2,100,000" — and that community kitchens, local bread production and other activities are supporting food security. Mine-action partners conducted more than 130 assessments of explosive hazards in priority humanitarian locations, the briefing added, and are educating communities about explosive safety.
Despite these efforts, the spokesperson warned aid operations continue to face impediments. "There needs to be full respect for the ceasefire to ensure the safety of all civilians, including aid workers," the spokesperson said, and called for more crossings, increased volume and diversity of supplies, waived customs on humanitarian goods and lifted restrictive registration requirements to enable a wider scale-up.
The briefing listed UN agencies active in Gaza — including UNRWA, WFP, UNICEF and WHO — and said the UN is working with partners and host authorities to facilitate safe, timely access. No new commitments by third parties to open crossings or waive customs were announced at the briefing.