A senior official with the UN agency that assists the Palestinian people, UNRWA, has said. The sole border point with Egypt is a lifeline to the world – including for thousands of severely ill or injured Palestinians who require medical treatment outside the enclave, where last October’s fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold. The development comes, however, following reports of violence over the weekend, with the UN voicing concern over the killing of civilians and Israeli airstrikes. ‘Competing dynamics’ “As we have seen so many times throughout this conflict, we’re seeing really competing dynamics here: on the one hand, positive progress when it comes to the re-opening of Rafah, and yet over the past 24 hours, 30 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes during a ceasefire,” Sam Rose, Acting Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, told the BBC on Sunday. “At the same time, international organizations that are equipped and qualified and capable of doing work, which is urgently needed, are continuing to face major, major constraints.”  For this reason, Palestinians in Gaza are feeling “massive trepidation – hope that people will be able to get out, but real, real fear for the future,” he said. UNRWA remains on the ground delivering life-saving assistance in where “fear and uncertainty persist,” the agency said, noting that “access is limited, protection concerns persist, and humanitarian needs remain acute amid ongoing operational constraints.” Limited movement Reopening the Rafah crossing was an integral part of the 20-point peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump last September, with the ceasefire announced days later. For now, Israel will only allow some 50 Palestinians to enter and exit Gaza each day – and only on foot, international news agencies have reported. The crossing will be coordinated with Egypt and supervised by the European Union (EU), according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA. Returns will only be permitted for residents who left during the war and after obtaining prior authorisation from the Israeli security services, being checked by the EU at the Rafah crossing point and undergoing a second identification and control process in a designated corridor managed by the Israeli army in an area under its control. Support for returnees OCHA welcomed the reopening of the key border crossing, underscoring that “civilians must be allowed to leave and return voluntarily and safely, as international law requires.” Over the weekend, the UN carried out an advance mission to assess road conditions. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is set to provide bus transportation for returnees from the internal checkpoint to Nassar hospital in Khan Younis, where several UN agencies and NGO partners have set up a reception area to provide them with support. The reception desk is staffed by psychologists and protection specialists, while food, information materials and internet connectivity are available. Medical evacuations Monday also saw the World Health Organization (WHO) supporting medical evacuation efforts.   Some patients and their companions were able to exit Gaza directly to Egypt, while others transited through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing Israeli authorities approved the travel of only five wounded patients from a list of 27 names submitted to both the Egyptian and Israeli sides, according to Palestinian sources.  Treatment beyond borders Families lined up in the courtyard of Al-Amal Hospital in the south of the Gaza Strip to bid farewell to sick relatives, and their travel companions, heading to Egypt to complete their treatment.A UN News correspondent was on hand as buses began preparing to depart, carrying with them the hope that the wounded would return fully recovered. A young boy called Youssef Awad, who uses a wheelchair, was optimistic that he would be able to walk and play again. “I hope to travel for treatment and return walking like other children,” he said.‘Expedite the process’ Another injured child, Ahmed Iyad Abu al-Khair, sat in a wheelchair beside his father, Iyad, awaiting his turn in the medical evacuation convoy heading to the Rafah crossing.  Ahmed’s head was covered with a white bandage, and he appeared unable to move while his father tried to comfort him. “We hope that decision-makers and the World Health Organization will expedite the process and help us get my son Ahmed to travel to complete his treatment, as every hour he spends here affects his health.” Thousands still waiting  In a protest reflecting the extent of their despair, dozens of injured Palestinians staged a demonstration near the hospital, sitting in their wheelchairs and demanding an increase in the number of people allowed to travel daily which “should be in the hundreds” instead of 50. “We have been waiting for the crossing to open since the beginning of the war, and like many others, we have not been lucky,” said Farid al-Qassas, an injured man. “In this building alone, there are about 100 patients in need of medical referrals, and the number of wounded waiting to travel reaches about 13,000 patients and injured people. We hope that everyone will hear us and save what remains of these patients.”The last medical evacuation through the Rafah crossing was in May 2024.  Overall, more than 18,500 patients in Gaza, including 4,000 children, are still waiting to access treatment abroad. “The most effective option would be to resume referrals to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and rehabilitate damaged health facilities in Gaza,” OCHA said. Until then, UN Member States are urged “to accept more patients so that everyone receives the treatment that they need.” Aid delivery update The agency also stressed that “ultimately, essential humanitarian supplies must enter in sufficient quantities and with fewer restrictions through Rafah and other crossings.”  Between 23-29 January, at least 13,800 pallets of humanitarian aid managed by the UN and its partners were unloaded at crossing points. Nearly 60 per cent of these shipments contained food, but also shelter items, school supplies, health items, fuel and nutritional kits. Since the announcement of the ceasefire on 10 October, at least 272,000 pallets of humanitarian goods were unloaded, and 270,000 pallets were collected at the various crossing points. 

Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said today’s meeting comes amid “profound” opportunity and “considerable” risk.“In front of us, we see a potential turning point for Gaza, a genuine chance for a better future, he said. “We also see a continued unravelling in the occupied West Bank, and a region mired in tension.”The announced second phase of United States President Donald J. Trump’s 20-point Comprehensive Plan marks “a critical step" in consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza, alongside the creation of the Board of Peace, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the Office of the High Representative for Gaza.‘Monumental’ task aheadIn Cairo, he said, he met with the new National Committee to discuss how the United Nations can best support the provision of critical public services, facilitate humanitarian aid and lay the groundwork for Gaza’s reconstruction.“The task at hand is monumental,” he affirmed, requiring full coordination among all stakeholders, taking into account existing systems and capacities. Ceasefire plan's second phaseWhile welcoming the return of the last hostage, Mr. Alakbarov stressed that implementation must advance “in good faith”, that demilitarization of the Gaza Strip is “an essential enabling condition”, and that Gazans themselves are ready to lead the way to a more stable future.Yet, nearly the entire population requires humanitarian assistance, he said, stressing:  “I saw a little girl carrying heavy stones just to prevent her shelter from blowing away in the wind.”In the occupied West Bank, he described “spiralling dynamics”, stressing that “negative trends are entrenched daily” amid “extensive” Israeli military operations, settlement-expansion, settler violence, demolitions and large-scale detentions. He also pointed to the “sharply” escalating pressure campaign against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)."Implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan is critical,” he argued. It will “require our firm and collective commitment”.  The current moment marks “a genuine opportunity” to lay the foundations for a more stable and secure future for Palestinians and Israelis.Gaza crisis remains direDespite a modest increase in humanitarian assistance, the situation in Gaza remains “dire”, with hundreds of thousands of families across the Strip still in urgent need, even as health services expand and more than 6,000 children under three receive routine vaccinations.Food assistance now reaches at least 43 per cent of the population through daily bread rations and monthly flour distributions, according to UN agencies, while shelter and winter support have been delivered to thousands of families.However, years of disrupted schooling have taken a heavy toll on children, with warnings that an entire generation at risk.Child immunization campaign reaches 13,000Humanitarian partners have so far vaccinated nearly 13,000 children across the Gaza Strip during the latest immunization campaign, against a target of 18,000, according to aid coordination office, OCHA.Winter support efforts are also continuing, as further cold spells are expected.  Since Sunday, partners working on shelter have reached more than 4,000 families with tents, tarpaulins, mattresses, blankets and kitchen supplies.OCHA stressed that emergency assistance alone is not enough, underscoring the need for more sustainable shelter solutions.Here’s more on the humanitarian effort today from OCHA’s Olga Cherevko. 

With children among the hardest hit by shortages of shelter, basic services and education, the United Nations said on Tuesday.Briefing reporters in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric described the situation as still “dire” for hundreds of thousands of families across the Strip who remain in urgent need.UN health partners have expanded basic services in recent days. As part of a catch-up vaccination campaign launched last week, more than 6,000 children under three have now received shots to safeguard against preventable diseases.Daily breadOn food security, the UN and its partners are providing daily bread rations to at least 43 per cent of the population, either free or at a heavily subsidized price of less than $1 for a two-kilogramme bundle.This assistance is complemented by monthly household distributions of wheat flour, which reached 1.2 million people this month.Shelter and winter support have also increased. Over the past week, humanitarian partners delivered tents, tarpaulins, sealing-off kits, mattresses and blankets to more than 7,500 families – while 1,400 children received winter clothing.“Since Wednesday, our partners have reached over 2,300 families with cash vouchers and in-kind winterization support. They have also provided mental health and psychosocial support and case management assistance to hundreds of people,” Mr. Dujarric said.More than one million people still require urgent shelter support, Mr. Dujarric said, underscoring the need for longer-term solutions such as home-repair tool kits, communal heating spaces and equipment to remove debris and rubble.Whole generation at riskChildren remain among the hardest hit. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the war has erased years of educational progress.“Almost two and a half years of attacks on Gaza’s schooling have left an entire generation at risk,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said.About 60 per cent of school-aged children have no access to in-person learning, and more than 90 per cent of schools have been damaged or destroyed.UNICEF is expanding its Back to Learning programme to reach 336,000 children this year through temporary learning centres that also connect children to health, nutrition and sanitation services.Mr. Elder also stressed the urgent need to reopen the Rafah border crossing, calling it a “lifeline” for medical evacuations, family reunification and essential services.He said families across Gaza remain “desperate” for the crossing to reopen, warning that prolonged closures are compounding humanitarian suffering.

But more aid still needs to enter. That’s the assessment of two senior officials from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking on Monday to journalists in New York following a week-long visit to the enclave and the occupied West Bank. The two agencies have brought more than 10,000 trucks of aid into Gaza since the 10 October truce between Israel and Hamas, representing some 80 per cent of all humanitarian cargo. Famine reversed Three months later, “the food security situation has improved and famine has been reversed,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations. Carl Skau, WFP Deputy Executive Director, added that most families he met “were eating at least once a day” – sometimes twice. Commercial goods have reappeared in Gaza’s markets, including vegetables, fruits, chicken and eggs. Recreational kits to help children heal from the stress and trauma of two years of war are now in their hands. ‘These gains matter’ UNICEF and partners have provided more than 1.6 million people with clean drinking water and distributed blankets and winter clothes to 700,000.  They have also restored essential life-saving paediatric intensive care services at embattled Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The second round of a Gaza-wide “catch-up campaign” for routine childhood vaccinations is currently underway, while another 72 UNICEF-supported nutrition facilities have been established, bringing the total to 196. “These gains matter,” said Mr. Chaiban. “They show what is possible when the fighting pauses, political commitments are sustained and humanitarian access opens.”  Hot meals and school snacks WFP has also scaled up massively over the past 100 days, said Mr. Skau, speaking from Rome. Teams have reached more than a million people every month with full rations for the first time since the war began. They are “serving 400,000 hot meals every day and delivering school snacks to some 230,000 children in 250 temporary learning centres,” in addition to operating hundreds of distribution points and some 20 warehouses.  Other humanitarian organizations are bringing in tents, blankets, mattresses and other essentials thanks to WFP’s shared logistics services.  The agency is also helping to facilitate more regular aid convoys and is expanding common storage facilities so that more aid can be positioned closer to the population. It has also ramped up cash support to roughly 60,000 households. Situation still deadly Although more aid is entering Gaza, quantities are not yet sufficient to meet the immense needs. Furthermore, “the situation also remains extremely precarious and deadly for many children,” said Mr. Chaiban. “More than 100 children have been reported killed in Gaza since the ceasefire of early October.    Despite the progress with food security,100,000 children remain acutely malnourished and require long term care.  1.3 million people, many of them children, are in urgent need of proper shelter.” Families are shivering in fabric tents and bombed-out buildings amid freezing temperatures that have killed at least 10 children this winter season. Mr. Sklau met a young woman with a 10-day-old baby who “was sitting on a wet mattress in this cold tent on the beach,” describing their plight as “just absolutely brutal.” Hopes for a brighter future Yet hope blossoms in the Gaza Strip. UNICEF and partners are supporting over 250,000 children to resume learning – a critical element to mental health and psychosocial support for more than 700,000 students who have been out of school for two years. Mr. Skau recalled a conversation with young girls at a temporary learning space who “were happy to be back learning and eating more regularly,” he said.  “They could see a future again as nurses or engineers or restaurant owners, and they seemed impressively confident and determined to build a future for themselves.” Change the trajectory Humanitarians need essential items – such as water and sanitation provision, as well as educational supplies – to be allowed to enter Gaza which can help jump start recovery and reconstruction. Mr. Chaiban said WFP and UNICEF are ready to scale up operations.  “The children of Gaza and the State of Palestine including the West Bank, which is also experiencing a wave of violence do not need sympathy. They need decisions now that give them warmth, safety, food, education, and a future,” he said.  “We have an opportunity, a window, to change the trajectory for these children. We can’t waste it.”