Three weeks into the ceasefire, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has provided life-saving food assistance to one million people across the Gaza Strip, marking a major step in efforts to curb hunger in the war-devastated enclave.

Yet, the agency warned that its capacity to scale up operations is being held back by severely restricted access through border crossings and damaged infrastructure inside Gaza.

According to WFP, the distributions—its first regular food parcel delivery since April—reached families across all governorates with reduced rations, as supplies remain critically limited. Each family received a parcel designed to cover about ten days of food needs. The agency currently operates 44 distribution points, well below its target of 145.

In addition to food parcels, 700,000 people are receiving fresh bread daily from 17 WFP-supported bakeries, while 200,000 people benefited from emergency digital cash transfers in October, allowing them to purchase essential goods locally.

WFP has also reached 150,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five with vital nutrition supplements and 70,000 school-age children with nutritious snacks at temporary learning sites.

Despite these achievements, operational challenges persist. Only two crossings remain open, drastically constraining the inflow of humanitarian aid. Delivering food to northern Gaza is especially difficult due to the closure of northern entry points, forcing convoys to take slow and unsafe routes from the south. WFP reports that in the past three and a half weeks, only 20,000 metric tons of food assistance entered Gaza—about half of what is needed monthly.

WFP stressed that opening all crossings and restoring key road access are essential to reaching the 1.6 million people targeted for assistance. Damage from the conflict has also destroyed over half of Gaza’s warehousing and storage facilities, further complicating logistics.

Food security across Gaza remains dire. After two years of war and months of blockade, many families continue to face severe shortages. Although food prices have slightly decreased since the ceasefire, they remain well above pre-war levels, and many households still rely on limited diets consisting mostly of cereals and pulses.

“Without immediate and sustained access through all border crossings,” WFP warned, “the fragile progress made since the ceasefire could quickly unravel, leaving millions once again on the brink of starvation.”