The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations has launched an emergency operation to provide critically important aid to more than 800,000 people lacking access to food, water and essential supplies in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to TASS.
The UN body, headquartered in Rome, said it "urgently requires access and funding to reach those in need." "A total of US$17.3 million is needed in the next four weeks to address this critical situation," it said.
WFP calls for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to facilitate the entry of aid and humanitarian assistance into Gaza and appeals for the safe and unobstructed passage for its staff and essential commodities.
The latest round of tensions in the Middle East was sparked by the October 7 attack of Hamas militants on the territory of Israel. According to the latest reports, clashes and shelling have left some 900 Palestinians dead and more than 4,500 wounded, and over 1,000 Israelis dead and over 3,400 wounded.
Hamas said its attack was in response to the Israeli authorities’ actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel has announced a state of readiness for war and for a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip.
