(MENAFN) The United Nations reported meaningful advances in humanitarian operations across Gaza on Sunday, noting that its “humanitarian scale-up in Gaza is well underway – and today brought some real progress.”

“For the first time since March, cooking gas entered the Strip,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, adding that “more tents for displaced families, frozen meat, fresh fruit, flour and medicines also crossed into Gaza throughout the day.”

OCHA highlighted that the UN and its partners “distributed hundreds of thousands of hot meals and bread bundles – both in the south and in the north.” With eased access restrictions, the agency was also able to “pre-position medical and emergency supplies where they are needed most, assess key roads for explosive hazards, and support displaced families in flood-prone areas prepare for the winter season.”

The organization confirmed that “Israeli approval for more aid to move forward” has been secured, bringing the cleared aid pipeline to approximately 190,000 metric tons, including food, shelter items, and medicine. “This is just the beginning,” OCHA stated, promising to expand deliveries “to virtually everyone across Gaza.”

The developments follow US President Donald Trump’s announcement that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first stage of his 20-point ceasefire plan, which includes the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The first phase took effect on Friday.

Phase two of the plan envisions the establishment of a new governing body in Gaza excluding Hamas, the deployment of a multinational force, and the disarmament of the group. Since October 2023, Israeli operations have reportedly killed over 67,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children, leaving Gaza largely uninhabitable.

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