Gaza ceasefire: Relief efforts prioritize urgent needs

 Friday, February 14, 2025

Islamabad (Point News Today / Pakistan Point News - 14th Feb, 2025 ) A massive humanitarian aid operation is continuing in Gaza after a ceasefire agreement was reached. UN aid agencies have said that more and more aid will be needed in the coming days to meet the needs of people devastated by the 15-month war.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that every opportunity is being used to provide all possible assistance to the people.

Rene Nigenius, an official at the agency, says that people in Gaza are worried about whether the ceasefire will hold. However, today's announcement by Hamas of the release of hostages in accordance with the agreement is welcome.

He says that thanks to the ceasefire agreement, aid teams have been able to provide large quantities of clean drinking water to the people of Gaza, among other assistance.

However, people need shelter supplies and education. Children ask where their school is. They want to go to school and resume their education.

Food aid for 1.5 million people

An average of 600 trucks carrying aid have been arriving in Gaza every day since the ceasefire began on January 19. According to OCHA, 800 trucks of aid arrived in Gaza on Wednesday, providing food aid to 1.5 million people.

Some 586,000 people have returned from southern to northern Gaza since Israel opened the Natsarim crossing, while 56,000 have moved from northern to southern Gaza.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that although the threat of famine has been averted in the area, people are in dire need of shelter and heating.

Since the ceasefire began, 644,000 people have received shelter supplies, including tents, plastic sheets, blankets, heating mats, tarpaulins and tarpaulins.

Need to restore trade

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that trade flows must be restored to meet the needs of more than two million people in Gaza.

Tess Ingram, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that a large-scale humanitarian aid had been delivered to the area and efforts had been made to reach as many people as possible in the past three days, but 15 months of problems could not be solved in three weeks.

She said that the same amount of aid must be delivered regularly. As a result of the arrival of trade goods, there will be an abundance of essential goods in the markets.

There is also a need to manage cash and restore banks so that people can buy these things.

The agency also said that it is not possible to immediately repair and make usable the civilian facilities destroyed by the Israeli bombing. Facilities such as water supply and drainage management have been severely affected by the war, and the equipment needed to repair them is not allowed to be brought into Gaza.

UNICEF priorities

The spokesperson said that it is very important that the ceasefire remains in place because it has made it easier to protect the lives of children and provide them with basic facilities. Speaking to UN News, he said that the organization’s main priorities are to provide water, improve medical facilities and provide nutrition to the people.

UNICEF is trying to restore the supply of water to the people as needed. Water pipes and wells have been destroyed in northern Gaza and Rafah. In these circumstances, efforts are being made not only to repair these facilities, but also to provide water to the people through trucks.

Providing medical assistance

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the organization has helped to evacuate 414 patients and injured people from Gaza for treatment since the ceasefire.

The United Nations Agency for Sexual and Reproductive Health (UNFPA) has provided newborn warming kits, post-natal care and menstrual hygiene kits to women. In addition, a new shelter has been built in Gaza City to protect women and girls from gender-based violence.

Gaza health authorities have reported that at least 48,219 people were killed and 111,665 injured between 7 October 2023 and 11 February 2025.