The United Nations ( UN ) announced that it is prepared to launch, as soon as the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is formalized, a 60-day plan to assist the population of this Palestinian enclave devastated by Israel's war against the terrorist group Hamas.
According to statements by Tom Fletcher, the UN's humanitarian chief, during a video conference held this Thursday from Saudi Arabia and reported by the organization itself, the agency already has 170,000 tons of humanitarian aid, consisting of food, medicine, and other essential goods. The plan includes the mobilization of"several hundred" trucks daily for its implementation, in response to the dire situation suffered by the population, deprived of access to basic products for months due to restrictions imposed by Israel.
Fletcher stressed that the program is “detailed and tested,” and that UN teams are ready to act immediately. “Our supplies—170,000 tons of food, medicine, and other goods—are available. Our brave, experienced, and determined teams are ready,” the official said.
The relief plan provides for the delivery of food aid to 2.1 million people and specialized nutritional assistance to 500,000 severely malnourished people. It includes direct food distribution, support for bakeries and community kitchens, and cash transfers so that 200,000 families can purchase products of their choice.
In addition, the UN aims to restore essential water and sanitation services to 1.4 million people, including repairing distribution infrastructure, fixing sewer leaks, removing waste from residential areas, and providing personal hygiene items such as soap, detergents, and sanitary pads.
In terms of health, the UN emergency plan seeks to restore a"decimated" health system by providing equipment, medicines, and as many medical evacuations as possible, along with strengthening basic and mental health care. The weekly delivery of"thousands of tents" and the reopening of temporary educational centers for 700,000 children whose access to education has been interrupted are also planned.
However, Fletcher insisted that the plan's success depends on meeting several conditions, including the influx of"at least 1.9 million liters of fuel per week," the restoration of cooking gas, the reopening of all border crossings, and the streamlining of security checks. The official warned of the need for unhindered access to aid for the population and emphasized the serious financial gap facing the operation."To date, only 28% of the $4 billion humanitarian plan for 2025 in the Palestinian territories has been funded," he said.
Given the scale of the emergency, Fletcher warned that the current 170,000 tons will not be enough to cover the initial 60-day period and that new deliveries will be required, particularly from Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Cyprus. “Let’s be clear: this problem is not going away in two months,” the official said.
On the other hand, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, also appeared this Thursday from the organization's headquarters in New York and stated that the recent advances in the peace plan for Gaza demonstrate that"the solution to conflicts is not on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table."
Guterres lamented “all the lives lost,” including those of humanitarian workers, and called the agreements “a glimmer of relief” that could mark “the dawn of peace and the beginning of the end of this devastating war.” He stressed the urgency of seizing the opportunity to end the occupation, recognize the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and move forward with the two-state solution.
He also reiterated the call for the release of all hostages, the need to establish a permanent ceasefire, and to"stop the bloodshed once and for all." He also stressed the importance of granting full access to humanitarian workers and prioritizing infrastructure reconstruction in the Strip.
