UN aims to surge aid, medical supplies into Gaza once ceasefire starts

The United Nations plans to ramp up its delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza in the first 60 days of a ceasefire in the enclave, a top UN official said on Thursday, hours after a deal was struck between Israel and Hamas.



The deal is expected to go into effect 24 hours after an Israeli government meeting on Thursday. It will allow fleets of trucks carrying food and medical aid into Gaza, and allow the release of hostages and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces.



"We will aim to increase the pipeline of supplies to hundreds of trucks every day. We will scale up the provision of food across Gaza to reach 2.1 million people who need food aid and around 500,000 people who need nutrition," said Tom Fletcher, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs

and emergency relief coordinator.



"Famine must be reverted in areas where it has taken hold and prevented in others," he added at a briefing.