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Agence France-Presse

International agencies were preparing on Saturday to pour aid into Gaza, hopeful that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will allow them to put an end to the famine haunting parts of the territory.
But optimism was marked with caution.
The fragile truce could open access, but aid agencies fear Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump’s plan.
Logistical hurdles were far from the mind of displaced father Marwan al-Madhun. The 34-year-old just wanted to know when the trucks would arrive.
“My children are mainly happy to know that meat and chicken will arrive at last,” he said in central Gaza, as tens of thousands of Palestinians started to walk back to homes destroyed during fighting in the north.
“It’s been two years that they’ve been deprived,” he said. “At last, the crossing points will open!”
On August 22, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, after experts warned that 500,000 people faced a “catastrophic” threat.
Israel has accused Hamas of manufacturing a crisis and stealing aid.

Now, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs said Israel had approved the delivery of 170,000 tonnes of aid under a response plan for the first 60 days of the truce.
“The most basic necessities are still urgently needed in Gaza: medical equipment, medicines, food, water, fuel and adequate shelter for 2 million people who will face the approaching winter without a roof over their heads,” said Jacob Granger, Gaza coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Representatives of Granger’s organisation, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said they were ready to step up shipments, but much remained unclear.
“The difficulty we have now is questions of access,” said Antoine Renard, WFP director in the Palestinian territories, speaking from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
The WFP, which leads the group of organisations handling food security, has begun discussions with COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry agency for civilian affairs in the territories.
On Friday, empty WFP trucks were seen leaving Khan Younis in southern Gaza and heading to the Kerem Shalom crossing to be loaded with food aid for distribution inside Gaza.
The Trump plan foresees a return to the UN-led aid system in place before January, when Israel sealed Gaza’s borders and a private US-led operation took over aid distribution.

“But the conditions on the ground are different,” Renard said.
Since Israel’s latest offensive into the cities in the north of Gaza last month, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been driven from the homes – many of which were destroyed – into central and southern Gaza.
This has shifted pressure for food aid into a now overcrowded area whose original residents were already struggling.
The Trump plan states “full aid will be immediately sent to the Gaza Strip” as soon as the agreement comes into effect, “without interference from either party”.
Several humanitarian sources expressed optimism, despite concerns about security and registration procedures, on which Israel has yet to provide guidance.
“We are pushing different embassies and donors to speak to the Israeli authorities on their end, because we need, for example, trucks that can make round trips to the distribution platforms without facing constraints on the Israeli side,” an official from a medical agency said.
Since spring, most of the aid on which Palestinian civilians depend has been supplied by the private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The UN Human Rights Office said GHF operations – supported by the United States and Israel – had seen 1,000 people killed near distribution sites.
Several aid officials said they were not involved in planning for the ceasefire.
“We don’t have a lot of visibility on what exactly has been agreed on yet, but we will do everything we can,” said Shaina Low, NRC spokeswoman.
“Humanitarian aid should never be subject to negotiation – it’s a fundamental right for people in need,” she argued.
“The fact that it’s tied to a ceasefire deal is problematic, as it should not be used as a bargaining chip – just as the hostages never should have been.”


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Palestinians walk past rubble as they return to their neighbourhood in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, following Israeli forces’ withdrawal from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Israeli soldiers work on their tanks on the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, on Saturday following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Photo: AP

Palestinians transport their belongings back to their homes in Khan Younis on Saturday, after the Israeli army withdrew and the ceasefire went into effect. Photo: dpa

A foreign delegation seen near a military base in southern Israel, escorted by Israeli army vehicles, on Saturday ahead of the expected release of hostages as part of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. Photo: AP

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Palestinian children look at rubble following Israeli forces’ withdrawal from the area, after Israel and Hamas agreed on the Gaza ceasefire, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Palestinians make their way along Al-Rashid road towards Gaza City from Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Friday. Photo: AFP

People celebrate at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday, following the announcement of the new Gaza ceasefire deal. Photo: TNS

Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike on the northern part of the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, on Friday despite the ceasefire deal. Photo: EPA

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A displaced Palestinian child waves the Palestinian national flag at the Bureij camp for refugees in the central Gaza Strip on September 22. Photo: AFP

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (right) extends his hand to US President Donald Trump after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem in 2017. Photo: Reuters

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa (centre) meets with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy (right) and French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in the West Bank city of Ramallah in August 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

Palestinians check the devastation following an Israeli strike that hit Gaza City’s southern al-Zeitoun neighbourhood on August 8. Photo: AFP

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People celebrate at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Thursday following the announcement of the new Gaza ceasefire deal. Photo: AFP

People in Tel Aviv on Thursday react as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting. Photo: AP

Einav Zangauker (right), mother of Matan Zangauker, who is being held hostage by Hamas, reacts to the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan. Photo: AP

Trump’s Gaza deal forged by diplomacy blitz, lots of help from Arab and Muslim allies

A child watches a person wearing a mask depicting US President Donald Trump as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages celebrate in Tel Aviv after the announcement of a deal. Photo: AP

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner attend a government meeting in Jerusalem on Thursday. Photo: GPO via Xinhua

Damage after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas’ political leadership in Doha, Qatar in September. Photo: AP

Israeli tanks block the beach road to Gaza City on Thursday. Photo: AP

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The agencies fear that Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan


The agencies fear that Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan.


Global agencies hope for Israel-Hamas truce to hold, prepare to send aid to Gaza

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The agencies fear that Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan

The agencies fear that Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan