The World Central Kitchen (WCK) organization announced on Tuesday that it is steadily increasing food aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
WCK's Middle East operations manager, John Torpey, reported that the organization is working closely with the Israeli Ministry of Defense's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) to distribute aid throughout the region.
Last week, WCK successfully delivered approximately 100 truckloads of food aid.
Using different routes from the Kerem Shalom checkpoint, trucks are directed to Khan Yunis and Deir al-Baraf in southern and central Gaza. Torpay highlighted the ongoing communication with COGAT, which has been crucial in ensuring the distribution of humanitarian aid amid the ongoing conflict.
Despite challenges such as ongoing conflict, impassable roads and other logistical obstacles, WCK has been able to keep aid flowing steadily. “We've been moving trucks pretty quickly using different routes to get to community kitchens and feeding facilities,” Torpay said in an online press conference.
UN agencies such as UNRWA and OCHA have expressed concern that the fighting is making it difficult to distribute aid inside the Gaza Strip, but COGAT maintains that with proper coordination, distribution is possible and has urged UN agencies to step up distribution efforts.
WCK has served 6.4 million meals since resuming operations on April 29 after an IDF airstrike that temporarily suspended its activities, killing seven staff members, and now delivers 250,000 meals daily. WCK runs major kitchens in Al Muwasi and Deir al-Baraf, and maintains 70 community kitchens, 65 of which are in operation daily.
Torpay acknowledged the difficulties in delivering aid, citing “millions of hungry people” and logistical challenges, but stressed that WCK has established a reliable supply chain from Kerem Shalom to their kitchens.
Commenting on the severe food insecurity in the Gaza Strip, Torpay acknowledged reports that Gazans are feeding their animals and drinking sewage. The World Health Organization's regional director also highlighted the dire situation and called for the border to be opened to facilitate the distribution of aid.
COGAT spokesman Shimon Friedman noted that in the week beginning May 26, there were 229 coordinated movements of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
He highlighted Israel's efforts to increase its aid transfer capacity, while criticizing UN agencies for not responding to these efforts.
In May, 5,258 trucks entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom and Erez checkpoints, the highest monthly total since the war began, but UN agencies reported that only 2,790 truckloads of aid had been distributed, citing ongoing access restrictions.
