CAIRO/GENEVA: Since Israel shut a vital corridor into famine-stricken northern Gaza before escalating its ground offensive this month, community kitchens and health clinics have closed and vital flows of food have slowed, residents and UN agencies say.
The Zikim Crossing was shut on September 12, days ahead of an Israeli ground offensive on Gaza City in the north of the territory, prompting warnings from aid agencies.
Since then, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) told Reuters it had not managed to bring any supplies through Zikim, previously the route for half its food deliveries into Gaza.
There has been a reduction of about 50,000 daily meals in northern Gaza compared to 109,000 daily meals before Zikim closed, as some kitchens in Gaza City serving free meals shut, according to Amjad Al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network.
Residents say conditions are getting worse. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the latest offensive, though others have stayed put despite Israeli evacuation orders, citing fears about security and hunger if they move.
