UN relief chief warns of food ‘rotting’ at Gaza border as Israel’s blockade exacerbates humanitarian crisis, effectively violating humanitarian law since March 18.
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In Gaza, Palestinians are struggling to survive on canned food as the UN relief chief reports that fresh produce is decaying at the closed borders, due to an Israeli blockade of essential humanitarian aid, which started 10 days ago.
Tom Fletcher, Chief of Humanitarian Affairs at OCHA, informed the United Nations Security Council that all entry points into Gaza are shut off to cargo, leading to food spoilage, medicine expiration, and critical medical equipment being stalled.
“International humanitarian law forbids attacks on civilians, obstruction of lifesaving aid, destruction of critical civilian infrastructure, and the taking of hostages… If the foundational principles of humanitarian law still apply, the international community should act to uphold them,” he emphasized.
All entry points into Gaza are closed. At the border, food is rotting. Medicine is expiring. Vital medical equipment is stuck. anosolic redundancyⁿेड 10⁰ⁿ 1100ĺ˸˵ᶠ✺â✻xelles˵ 1110₁₿,tweeting@address
— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) March 28, 2025
Fletcher’s remarks follow the UN World Food Programme (WFP) report indicating that it has only “5,700 tonnes of food stocks left in Gaza – enough to support WFP operations for a maximum of two weeks” as of Friday.
The organization stated that due to the Israeli blockade, the cost of food has soared, with a 25kg (55lb) bag of wheat flour now costing up to $50, a “400 percent increase compared to pre-March 18 prices”.
This situation arose after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in early March that food and aid would be restricted from entering Gaza until Hamas agreed to extend the first stage of the January ceasefire agreement.
However, Hamas refuses to extend the first stage, instead pushing for the advancement to the second stage, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and cessation of the war.
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h2 id=”canned-food”>‘Canned food’
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/29/food-rotting-at-gaza-border-amid-israeli-blockade-un?traffic_source=rss
