Source: UN News: Thursday, 16 October 2025 00:01 AM
Following the news of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas coming into force, a large number of Gazans have started returning towards the northern area, due to which the main road leading there has been filled with crowds. Under these circumstances, UN aid groups have reiterated their appeal to Israel to open all border crossings to Gaza to prevent the famine from spreading. United Nations Agency for Assistance to Palestinians – UNRWA “There is very little information available about the details of the agreement or how it will be implemented,” said Juliet Touma, communications director for the United Nations. Tweet URL
“However, we call for the immediate opening of all border crossings in Gaza to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the war-torn region.” His comments came at a time when Israeli forces are reportedly withdrawing from parts of Gaza. There is a provision to do this as per the agreement between Israel and Hamas. The agreement was brokered this week in Egypt by American mediators and representatives of Qatar and Türkiye.United Nations Children’s Fund ,Unicef) has reported that 50 thousand youth in Gaza are “at risk” of suffering from severe malnutrition. Juliet Touma drew attention to the situation of these youth, stressing that UNRWA’s provision of this food is vital to prevent and control famine. UN agencies say that these children and youth suffering from severe malnutrition must be treated immediately… With the ceasefire coming into force, it is hoped that all of them will be able to get the medical treatment they desperately need. Tom Fletcher, the UN’s top aid coordination official, said on Thursday that “the entire UN humanitarian family” is working to deliver aid to Gaza. Speaking to reporters, he stressed UNRWA’s “indispensable role” in delivering aid to the Gaza Strip and also underlined the central role assigned to the UN in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan. Fighting continues in some areas. Meanwhile, aid teams still working in the Gaza Strip said the ceasefire had not come into effect as of Friday morning. UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Pires said that vital humanitarian work was still ongoing, including a UNICEF medical mission in Gaza City on Thursday “to save two babies admitted in an incubator and fighting for their lives.” Said, “Fortunately, due to the hard work of colleagues and health workers on the ground, those children survived and have been reunited with their families today.” UN News UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Biles said the mission had to wait 15 hours to reach Gaza City because “the situation on the ground was still very volatile and the movements were happening very quickly – a lot of violence”. UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma echoed the same assessment, saying that her colleagues in the Gaza Strip reported airstrikes on Friday morning. She also said 7 More than 370 UNRWA staff have been killed during the war, which began with Hamas-led terrorist attacks on southern Israel in October 2023. “This is the largest number of people killed in the United Nations’ work since its founding,” he added. The UN health agency (WHOUN spokesman Christian Lindmeier also called for “unimpeded” aid access through “all possible routes”. He stressed the need to restart evacuations to provide better care to critically ill patients from Gaza to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to provide large-scale funding to “accelerate reconstruction”. 1 lakh 70 thousand metric tons of food, medicines and other supplies are ready for delivery. Its aim is to provide food to 21 lakh people in Gaza. Besides, the provision of nutritious food also has to be increased to about 5 lakh needy people with serious nutritional needs. UN News
