"We are seeking the green light from Israel to significantly increase aid to more than two million Palestinians following a ceasefire agreement," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said at a press conference.
Fletcher noted that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have been able to deliver only 20 percent of the aid needed to address the dire situation in the Gaza Strip over the past several months, stressing the need to open all entry points into Gaza to deliver aid on a much larger scale.
He explained that "given the level of need, the level of famine, the level of misery and despair, it will require a massive collective effort, and that is what we are preparing for," expressing the United Nations' readiness to launch and deliver aid on a large scale.
He continued, "We had to wait nearly 799 days, and now we must make the most of it. US President Donald Trump's plan must be the basis for life-saving action across the region, saving tens of thousands of lives."
detailed plans
"The United Nations has detailed and tested plans for humanitarian aid," he added, noting that "we aim to deliver aid to 2.1 million people in Gaza within the first two months of the ceasefire agreement taking effect."
Fletcher explained that they "will work to revitalize Gaza's devastated healthcare system and water and sanitation infrastructure, distribute thousands of tents to families, and open temporary learning areas for 700,000 school-age children," emphasizing the need for adequate funding for these humanitarian relief operations.
He pointed out that the United Nations currently has only 28% of the $4 billion required for the 2025 emergency aid campaign, calling on international donors to provide more support to save lives in Gaza.
Early Thursday morning, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his ceasefire and prisoner exchange plan. This followed four days of indirect negotiations between the two sides in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of delegations from Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, and under US supervision.
Tel Aviv estimates that there are 48 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 11,100 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering from torture, starvation, and medical neglect. Many of these Palestinians have been killed, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 8, 2023, leaving 67,194 martyrs and 169,890 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 460 Palestinians, including 154 children.
