Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Lebanese Health Ministry: One martyr, one wounded in IOF strike on Yater, South Lebanon.
Palestinian sources: Arab-European committee including 30 ambassadors, consuls came under fire by occupation forces in Jenin Refugee Camp, northern West Bank.
Pope Leo XIV: I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid [into Gaza] and to put an end to the hostilities
Palestinian Resistance factions: Occupation expanding its genocidal war through what it calls "Gideon's Chariots" will end in failure just like its former plans.
Palestinian Resistance factions: We warn our people from occupation's plans that aim to push it to move to southern Gaza as a prelude to displacing them from the Gaza Strip.
Iraqi oil minister: Such agreements must be signed by the federal government.
Iraqi oil minister: We have reservations regarding the oil agreements signed between US and Kurdistan.
Gharibabadi: Europeans know that triggering the snapback mechanism would sabotage diplomacy, and Iran will respond accordingly
Gharibabadi: The involvement of any third parties in the current indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States requires mutual consent of both sides
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi: Iran will take appropriate countermeasures should the Europeans move to trigger the snapback mechanism

Aid corridor urgent need to prevent famine in North Gaza: WFP official

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 5 Mar 2024 13:20
  • 1 Shares
5 Min Read

The World Food Programme country director for Palestine emphasizes the urgent requirement for an aid corridor into northern Gaza to avert a "man-made" famine.

  • x
  • Aid corridor needed to prevent famine in North Gaza, says WFP official
    Palestinian children wait for aid amid “man-made” famine due to the ongoing Israeli genocide and total blockade. (AFP)

The killing of over 100 Palestinians, as Israeli soldiers fired upon them while they were waiting in line for much-needed aid from convoys, was a "tragedy that could have been foreseen and prevented," as stated by the World Food Programme Country Director for Palestine.

Matthew Hollingworth emphasized the urgent requirement for an aid corridor into northern Gaza to avert a "man-made" famine. This necessity arises from the rapid and widespread starvation of Palestinians.

"To have a situation today with half a million people facing famine in just five months is extraordinary at that scale,” he said.

“There’s nowhere else in the world today with this many people at risk of famine. Nowhere. And it’s all man-made,” he added.

In late February, the WFP suspended food deliveries to northern Gaza, even in the face of imminent starvation. This decision was made after Israeli forces fired at desperate Palestinians attempting to obtain food from WFP trucks at the same location, according to Hollingworth.

“Sadly, from our perspective, the entire reason why we came to a temporary suspension is because we feared something like that would happen,” he said in an interview at the WFP’s office in occupied al-Quds. 

GAZA CIVIL DEFENSE: The occupation repeatedly targets those seeking aid.

FOLLOW OUR LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/9Ii9jso5kG pic.twitter.com/u7mem9wpU0

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) March 4, 2024

"We had been in two situations, over two consecutive days, where shots were fired when people got too close to the military checkpoint and when people rushed the trucks,” he detailed.

The decision, which was made on February 19, “was founded on a fear that further beneficiaries would be killed attempting to get assistance directly off the trucks we took in,” he said.

Read next: 'Israel' starves another child to death, children starved now at 16

'People are genuinely facing starvation'

Related News

King’s College Cambridge divests from Israeli-linked arms companies

Gaza genocide worsens: Hospitals shut down, 150+ martyrs in 24 hours

According to the UN, the EU, and eyewitnesses in Gaza, numerous individuals attempting to access aid from trucks last Thursday were shot by Israeli occupation forces. 

Hollingworth emphasized the necessity of inundating the northern part of the territory with aid to stabilize the situation. He noted that people would cease risking their lives for aid once they secured several days' or weeks' worth of food and were assured of a functioning aid pipeline.

He approximated that an immediate and sustained effort, consisting of a minimum daily supply of 600 tonnes of food aid delivered by 30 trucks over the course of 10 days, would be necessary.
 
The WFP has engaged in discussions with communities in Gaza City and the Israeli military to find a safe way to resume deliveries, although the recent Israeli massacres have hindered progress.
 
"I’m still confident we can restart, and we will restart. We have to. People are genuinely facing starvation in Gaza City,” Hollingworth said.

Currently, the WFP reportedly provides insufficient food for approximately 1.1 million individuals each month in Gaza, collaborating closely with UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine, which also sustains around 1.1 million people. However, only a minimal fraction of the food aid transported into southern Gaza from the Egyptian border has reached the northern areas, where the level of hunger is most severe, as noted by Hollingworth.
 
Hollingworth mentioned that the WFP has 550 trucks stationed in El Arish, loaded with food and ready to proceed once there is improved access. The number of aid trucks entering Gaza dwindled to around 100 per day in February, less than half of the levels observed in January. He explained that bottlenecks at Israeli checkpoints for aid entering Gaza, security issues in a lawless 4km stretch between the border and Rafah, and logistical challenges of navigating through bombed-out streets filled with forcibly displaced Palestinians and communities experiencing widespread hunger are causing delays in aid shipments.

The images of Yazan spoke volumes to the entire world.

Sadly, Yazan al-Kafarna passed away in #Rafah this morning due to starvation caused by the Israeli occupation's siege.

Just days ago, Yazan's father shared a heartbreaking video on social media, showing pictures of Yazan… pic.twitter.com/zL1QQvHt9a

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 4, 2024

“We have trucks that have been queueing to cross for a week or 10 days, and then they do cross and that can take 24 hours to 48 hours” to go through Israeli checks, he stressed.

These delays occur in part due to the six loading and unloading processes that the cargo undergoes. The supplies must first be unloaded from Egyptian trucks into designated "sterile" trucks that exclusively operate within the crossing area. Subsequently, they are transported to a checkpoint where the contents undergo another unloading for meticulous inspection.

If the items successfully pass the inspection – and any single item rejected by Israeli occupation authorities results in the entire truck being sent back – they must undergo additional loading onto "sterile" trucks. These are then transported to the Gaza border, where they are unloaded once more and reloaded onto trucks that operate within Gaza.

Once on those trucks, a supply corridor is available up to the outskirts of Rafah.

“It takes seven to 10 days between departing from, let’s say, the port of El Said or the hub in El Arish to actually crossing into Rafah,” he said.

"The one thing we want to call for more than anything else is a cessation of hostilities. If there’s a ceasefire tomorrow, that’s a gamechanger,” Hollingworth said.

“You can then work in a completely different way … to improve the situation and start rebuilding people’s lives and hope and dignity,” he concluded.

Read next: 'Israel' deliberately attempting to exacerbate famine: Gaza Media

  • genocide in Gaza
  • Matthew Hollingworth
  • WFP
  • Gaza Strip
  • war on Gaza
  • Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
  • IOF
  • Gaza genocide
  • famine
  • Gaza

Most Read

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

  • Politics
  • 15 May 2025
Two F-35 jets arrive at it's new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. (AP)

F-35 near-misses over Yemen signal new risks for 'Israel': Forbes

  • Politics
  • 14 May 2025
Abu Obaida

Abu Obeida posts shortly after Israeli reports about his assassination

  • Palestine
  • 15 May 2025
YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben-Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

  • MENA
  • 18 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
Gulf investments quietly boosted Elon Musk and family fortunes
US & Canada

Gulf investments quietly boosted Elon Musk and family fortunes

A 3D render of China's planned 'drone mothership' Credit: X/@XH_Lee23
US & Canada

China unveils drone mothership capable of swarm attacks

Relatives of Venezuelan migrants deported by the US to a Salvadoran prison protested outside the UN building in Caracas on April 9, 2025 (AP)
US & Canada

At least 50 migrants deported to El Salvador prison entered US legally

A city bus goes by the historic city of Santiago, Spain during a major power outage across Spain and Portugal on April, 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Europe

Spain hit by major phone network outage weeks after nation blackout

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS