The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a renewed call for urgent humanitarian access and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, warning of a rapidly worsening hunger crisis as hostilities continue.

In a statement shared on the social media platform X, the WFP stressed the immediate need to open additional safe routes for delivering aid to civilians across northern, central, and southern Gaza. The agency emphasized that humanitarian efforts must not be obstructed or endangered by ongoing military operations.

“Food assistance must reach those in need — safely and without delay,” the WFP declared, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches critical levels.

According to WFP assessments, one in every three people in Gaza is going days without food, reflecting the extent of hunger and deprivation throughout the war-torn enclave. With access to clean water, medical supplies, and other essentials also severely limited, the situation is deteriorating rapidly.

Despite ongoing airstrikes, damaged infrastructure, and increasing risks to aid workers, the WFP confirmed it continues to deliver life-saving food assistance wherever access is possible. However, the agency warned that without secure and consistent humanitarian corridors, the capacity to respond to the crisis remains dangerously constrained.

The WFP’s appeal adds to growing international pressure for an immediate ceasefire, as civilian suffering intensifies amid widespread displacement, destruction, and economic collapse. Aid agencies have long warned that Gaza’s population is on the brink of famine, exacerbated by tight restrictions on movement, limited fuel supplies, and the destruction of local food production systems.

The call from the WFP underscores the urgency for global diplomatic efforts to secure both humanitarian access and a lasting end to hostilities — measures it says are essential to preventing further loss of life in Gaza. (ILKHA)