UN relief chief sees US Gaza peace proposal opening possibilities for aid delivery

United Nations, Oct 1 (IANS) UN relief chief Tom Fletcher recently welcomed US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace proposal for opening new possibilities to deliver large-scale, desperately needed life-saving aid.

"We are ready and eager to work, in a practical and principled way, to seize this moment for peace," said Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

He said the world body's teams, networks, supplies and expertise are in place and ready to be mobilised quickly and efficiently, as was done during the previous ceasefire that broke down in mid-March. As consistently emphasised, it is essential to end all attacks, restore public order, and facilitate humanitarian access to and throughout Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.

Fletcher said that eliminating restrictions on the entry of critical items and the work of international nongovernmental organizations remains a key request. These steps would allow humanitarians to resume community-based services at a level that ensures no one is left behind.

It is also critical that the private sector is able to operate at a meaningful scale, he added, noting that humanitarian aid alone cannot meet the full scope of needs in Gaza.

It will be crucial to ensure that these conditions are sustained, along with generous and reliable funding, as well as the restoration of decimated facilities and infrastructure, said Fletcher.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which Fletcher heads, warned that areas across the Gaza Strip, especially Gaza City, continue to come under heavy Israeli bombardment.

The UN Human Rights Office said that between Wednesday and Sunday, Israeli strikes intensified in the northwestern part of Deir al-Balah, with at least 89 Palestinians reportedly killed in at least a dozen separate incidents.

OCHA said the Gaza health authorities reported that 175 people, including 35 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since the confirmation of famine in the Gaza governorate in August.

The UN relief agency for Palestine refugees reported that in Gaza City, its teams operate 18 shelters for more than 4,000 people, although 28 others remain inaccessible or had to be evacuated. Only one of the agency's five medical points in Gaza City remains operational, said OCHA.

--IANS

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