Food security improving since Gaza truce, but challenges abound — top UN aid official |
DOHA, Qatar — The deputy director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme says food security in Gaza has improved since a ceasefire came into place two months ago, even as the broader humanitarian situation remains dire due to a variety of unaddressed challenges.
“It’s clear that there are improvements, and the food security situation has stabilized… but other sectors are not making as much progress,” Carl Skau said in an interview with The Times of Israel on the sidelines of the Doha Forum earlier this month.
He pointed to continued IDF restrictions on dual-use items that Israel believes could be repurposed by Hamas, which have led to a lack of shelter materials in the Strip as the peak of winter approaches.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans face their tents and shelters being flooded by heavy rains, and materials for shelters and sandbags are not being allowed to enter the enclave, the UN International Organization for Migration said on Friday.
COGAT, the Defense Ministry agency that oversees humanitarian matters in Gaza, did not immediately comment on the claim, but on Tuesday said it was working “continuously to support a winter humanitarian response for the civilian population,” with 270,000 tents and tarpaulins shipped into the Strip and repairs made to critical infrastructure.
The US established a Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, to monitor the ceasefire and serve as a hub to boost coordination on humanitarian aid distribution, but Skau said it hasn’t led to the resolution of problems regarding dual-use restrictions.
“At the start, there was a lot of good energy in that and a lot of investment. WFP is represented there, but so far, it’s struggling to resolve problems,” he said.
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