New York, June 28, 2025
As the world is witnessing, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is devastating. One in three people in Gaza hasn’t eaten for days. People are being shot just trying to get food to feed their families. Children are wasting away. This is what we face on the ground right now.
We welcome Israel’s decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, including lifting customs barriers on food, medicine and fuel from Egypt and the reported designation of secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys. Some movement restrictions appear to have been eased today, with initial reports indicating that over 100 truckloads were collected.
This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis. Across the UN agencies and humanitarian community, we are mobilized to save as many lives as we can.
But we need sustained action, and fast, including quicker clearances for convoys going to the crossing and dispatching into Gaza; multiple trips per day to the crossings so we and our partners can pick up the cargo; safe routes that avoid crowded areas; and no more attacks on people gathering for food.
Fuel must be allowed in consistently and at the volume needed to keep aid operations running.
More than 59,000 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, nearly 18,000 of them children.
International humanitarian law must be respected. Aid must not be blocked, delayed or come under fire. Hostages must be released, immediately and unconditionally.
Ultimately of course we don’t just need a pause – we need a permanent ceasefire.
The world is calling for this lifesaving aid to get through. We won’t stop working for that.
Media contact: ochamedia@un.org
