UN runs out of food in Gaza two months after Israel’s total blockade

The United Nations’ World Food Programme has run out of food in Gaza, the organization said Friday, two months into Israel’s humanitarian blockade of the besieged enclave.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme has run out of food in Gaza, the organization said Friday, almost two months into Israel’s humanitarian blockade of the besieged enclave. The agency says it delivered its final food stocks to kitchens in Gaza on Friday, and the kitchens are expected to deplete their supplies in the coming days. “For weeks, hot meal kitchens have been the only consistent source of food assistance for people in Gaza,” the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement. “Despite reaching just half the population with only 25% of daily food needs, they have provided a critical lifeline.” Israel imposed a humanitarian blockade of Gaza on March 2, cutting off food, medical supplies, and other aid to the more than 2 million Palestinians who live in the territory. Israel says the blockade, along with the military’s expansion of its bombardment of Gaza, is intended to pressure Hamas to accept a US-backed ceasefire proposal. “If we do not see progress in the return of the hostages, we will expand our activity into a more intense and significant operation,” said Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir during a visit to Gaza Thursday. The US has made clear that it will not push Israel to allow in more humanitarian aid. On Monday, Mike Hucakbee, the new US Ambassador to Israel, said a UN World Health Organization official asked him to put pressure on Israel to open the borders.