World Food Program Calls for Increased Aid to Gaza Strip

On Saturday, October 21, the head of the World Food Program, a United Nations agency, called for more aid to be sent to the Gaza Strip, stating that a catastrophic humanitarian situation is unfolding in the besieged area. Cindy McCain, the executive director of the organization, told the Associated Press, "People are dying from hunger unless humanitarian aid is received immediately." She described the entry of 20 trucks carrying aid into Gaza on Saturday as insufficient, saying, "We need many more trucks and a continuous flow of assistance." McCain noted that the World Food Program has prepared 1,000 tons of aid in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt for dispatch to Gaza. Earlier, a Voice of America correspondent in Israel reported the opening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on Saturday. Arash Sigarachi reported that with the opening of this border crossing, trucks carrying humanitarian aid passed from the Egyptian border into the region. He noted that 20 trucks carrying this aid have entered Gaza. Israel had besieged the Gaza Strip in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas militants. The Rafah crossing has been opened for sending humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. The U.S. is working to expedite the reopening of the Rafah crossing. The United Nations stated that without fuel for the trucks, distributing aid in Gaza is impossible. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Abbas and Sisi, calling for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Rafah border crossing amid intensified efforts to assist civilians in Gaza.