Gaza: Ceasefire ended the fighting but not the crisis - OCHA Presser | United Nations

OCHA Spokesperson in Gaza Olga Cherevko said that since the ceasefire took effect, the United Nations and partners have moved swiftly to scale up the delivery of humanitarian assistance across Gaza. “It's all hands on deck,” she said. Olga Cherevko, OCHA Spokesperson in Gaza spoke to reporters via video link. She said, “after months of devastation and suffering, the bombs have stopped falling. And with that silence came an opportunity and a responsibility to act.” “We have wasted no time,” the OCHA Spokesperson said, highlighting that the UN’s scale up plan for the first 60 days tested and proven to work, “is in full motion.” Cherevko said, “In the past three days, thousands of tons of humanitarian aid and other supplies have entered Gaza, including cooking gas, which entered on Sunday for the first time in over seven months.” “We're offloading and collecting critical supplies and accessing areas which we weren't able to reach for months. With 190,000 metric tons of assistance in our cleared pipeline,” she added. The OCHA Spokesperson also said, “Our medical teams are resupplying hospitals and field clinics that have been running on empty. We're delivering fuel to power by bakeries, desalination plants and hospitals again. We're repairing roads and checking them for explosive risks and helping displaced families prepare for the winter months.” “Every truck, every piece of bread, every box of medicine that crosses into Gaza carries with it a message of hope for a better tomorrow,” Olga stressed. She reiterated that the humanitarian needs “remain immense.” “The ceasefire has ended the fighting, but it hasn't ended the crisis,” the OCHA Spokesperson said, explaining, “displacement, destroyed infrastructure, lawlessness, damaged roads, unexploded ordnance and the collapse of basic services are just some of the challenges.” She said, “Scaling up response is not just about logistics and more trucks. It's about restoring humanity and dignity to a shattered population.” Olga also said that the UN is working around the clock with all parties to ensure predictable, safe and sustained access. “But let me be clear,” she said, “Humanitarian aid alone will not be a substitute for peace. The ceasefire must hold. It must become the basis for a broader political effort that brings the end of cycles of violence and despair.” Asked about the danger of unexploded ordnance, the OCHA Spokesperson said, “We have, of course, our teams on the ground who do assessments, and they assess the various roads, the locations, and they go to make sure that the ordnance is clearly marked and that they're also awareness for the communities to make sure that they know not to touch them and not to be around them and so forth.” Asked reports of delaying the scaling up of humanitarian aid coming into Gaza, Olga said, “We have received this is communication from the Israeli authorities. And of course, we continue to encourage the parties to adhere to the agreements that have been set out in the ceasefire parameters. And we certainly very much hope that, the bodies of the hostages are handed over and that the ceasefire continues to, to be implemented.”


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