The expansion of our humanitarian operations in Gaza is well under way

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said yesterday that the process of expanding the scope of United Nations humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip is well under way, with cooking gas entering Gaza for the first time since last March.

The OCHA office said in a press statement that more tents for displaced families, frozen meat, fresh fruit, flour, and medicine crossed into Gaza throughout yesterday.

The office added that the United Nations and its partners distributed hundreds of thousands of hot meals and bread packages, in both the north and the south.

The OCHA office said that it had obtained Israeli approval to proceed with more aid, bringing the volume of what was secured in the supply pipeline to 190,000 metric tons, including food, shelter materials, medicines and other supplies.

“This is just the beginning,” the office said, adding that within the framework of the first 60-day Gaza ceasefire plan, the United Nations and its partners will expand the scope of their operations to provide life-saving assistance and services to almost everyone throughout Gaza.

The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas entered into force last Friday, after three days of intense negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, between the two sides, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States.