UN reports significant improvement in operating conditions in Gaza amid ceasefire

​​​​​​​HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Thursday reported a significant improvement in aid operations amid the implementation of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Citing the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said at a news conference that "aid, cargo and humanitarian personnel are moving into areas that were previously hard to reach."

"Our humanitarian partners on the ground say the operating environment has improved significantly," he added.

Noting an increase in the amount of humanitarian aid delivered and the restoration of law and order, Haq said: "Yesterday, humanitarian organizations on the ground in Gaza transported 118 trucks of food parcels and flour from the UNRWA (UN agency for Palestinian refugees) warehouses to more than 60 distribution points across southern Gaza."

The first six-week phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 111,400 since Oct. 7, 2023.

The three-phase agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.