UN food stocks run out in Gaza amid Israeli aid blockade

The UN’s World Food Programme has said its supplies in Gaza are depleted, as Israel’s blockade on aid nears its eighth week.

The WFP said on Friday that its last remaining food stocks had been delivered to "to hot meals kitchens" in the enclave, the agency said in a statement on Friday.

“These kitchens are expected to fully run out of food in the coming days," it said. "For weeks, hot meal kitchens have been the only consistent source of food assistance for people in Gaza. Despite reaching just half the population with only 25 per cent of daily food needs, they have provided a critical lifeline.”

Israel blocked entry of supplies including food, fuel and medicine into Gaza on March 2, before resuming its bombardment and ground operations as a two-month ceasefire with Hamas collapsed. Israeli officials say the moves are aimed at putting pressure on Hamas to release its remaining hostages.

Rights groups have condemned the blockade, calling it a “starvation tactic” and warned that it could amount to a war crime.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 51,350 Palestinians, the enclave’s Health Ministry has said. The conflict has also destroyed most of its built-up areas. The Israeli assault was in response to an attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel.

The WFP also said that, at the end of March, all of its 25 supported bakeries closed as wheat flour and cooking fuel ran out.

“No humanitarian or commercial supplies have entered Gaza for more than seven weeks as all main border crossing points remain closed,” the agency added. “This is the longest closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced, exacerbating already fragile markets and food systems. Food prices have skyrocketed up to 1,400 per cent compared to during the ceasefire and essential food commodities are in short supply, raising serious nutrition concerns for vulnerable populations, including children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and the elderly.”

Mediators continue to push for peace and proposals are being negotiated, but deep mistrust and diverging goals between Israel and Hamas have stalled the process. Intensive negotiations are under way to reach a Gaza ceasefire before US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East in May, Hamas officials said.

A delegation of senior Hamas members, led by Khalil Al Hayya, Zaher Jabareen and Nizar Awadallah, arrived in Cairo late on Thursday night for talks with Egyptian mediators, sources said.

The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, was expected in Qatar later on Friday to join officials from the agency who are already there, the sources added.

They also told The National that the two sides held “serious” ceasefire talks in Cairo, but an agreement may prove elusive again. Hamas militants said they would not accept a “partial” ceasefire deal and called for a “comprehensive” agreement to halt the war. Israel, however, has sought to extend the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire.