The UN and the US are in ongoing discussions to reach an agreement to distribute humanitarian aid to Gaza that arrives from Cyprus at the temporary jetty built by the US military, UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said at the during the press briefing at the headquarters of the international organization in New York.

“We are continuing these discussions. So these are ongoing. We hope to be ready whenever help arrives at the pier. But certainly, the World Food Program is ready to distribute humanitarian aid, whenever it is at the pier, but also once there is an agreement on how the aid will be transported,” he noted.

According to the UN, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 80,000 people have been displaced from Rafah since Tuesday, when an Israeli army ground operation began.

Most of the displaced Palestinians seek safety in Khan Younis and Deir Al Bala. But these areas lack basic services needed to support citizens who need food, shelter and healthcare.

“No humanitarian aid – or fuel to power aid operations – has been able to enter through the Rafah crossing in recent days. The World Food Program (WFP) says its main warehouse in Gaza is no longer accessible. He says only one bakery is still operating and food and fuel supplies are running low. Without them, the PEP’s activities will stop,” said Mr. Haque.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza says some hospitals will begin shutting down their generators in three days if they do not receive fuel, to manage the small amount still available in Gauze. The UN continues to work with all stakeholders to resume the flow of goods, including fuel, so that it can once again begin to manage incoming supplies.

“OCHA – together with UNRWA, the UN Mine Action Service and the UN Department of Security – were at the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings to assess the security situation. The area is highly militarized, making it impossible for organizations to distribute food on the scale they previously did. The situation remains highly fluid and we continue to face a number of challenges amid active hostilities. Meanwhile, debris on the roads has made these routes impassable until now. We are investigating alternatives, including using the cordoned off road or other routes,” noted Mr. Xak.