Currently on mission in Gaza, Antoine Renard, director of the World Food Program (WFP) in Palestine, notes that the entry of aid to Gaza remains uncertain, despite requests from the United Nations.
One year after the start of the war in Gaza, what challenges do you face?
The entire population depends on food assistance. WFP provides aid to 1.1 million people in various forms: hot meals for about 600,000 people, bread, food parcels, etc. UNRWA meets the needs of another 1.1 million people. Our challenge remains to have access to Gaza and to be able to ensure that there is enough food, whether on the market thanks to commercial trucks or in emergency food support. The war continues, we see no end and guaranteeing the basic needs of the population remains uncertain.
What do you see on the site?
For most Gazans, days consist of lining up for water, bread and hot food in a communal kitchen. Most residents no longer have income. But in the families we visit we see a lot of sharing.
For a year now, Gazans have been relying on pre-prepared products, canned goods, etc. The dietary diversity of before the war has disappeared and the only truly accessible fresh product is bread. Fruits and vegetables are extremely limited in the region south of Wadi Gaza [1,9 million de personnes]. They have almost disappeared in the North. [où sont concentrées entre 300 000 et 400 000 personnes]. We request that commercial activity be restarted, to be able, with support in coupons or cash, to allow the population to have access to these foods.
What is the level of malnutrition?
We have started a new investigation. latest [publiée en juin] indicated that 96% of the population was in a crisis phase, in need of assistance, with a high risk of famine. Trade flows and food assistance in July and August showed slight improvement. But they fell again in September: as soon as we have access difficulties, these parameters risk falling very quickly again into the red.
What exactly are your access points?
We use several corridors: from Egypt, Jordan or the Israeli port of Ashdod. The flows vary, with great disparities. We were able to bring in around 13,500 tons of aid in August, compared to more than 10,000 tons in September. Another difficulty is that what reaches the south of the Gaza Strip cannot be transported to the north, and vice versa. [la bande est coupée en deux par un corridor de l’armée israélienne]. Until July we were able to support the population south of Wadi Gaza, with difficulties in the north. In August we were able to provide help to residents in the north of the territory, much less in the south. It’s like a faucet that you turn on and off.
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