(MENAFN- Gulf Times) UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Wednesday that Israel should immediately open crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid as part of a ceasefire agreement.
"We've been calling for unhindered access," Fletcher said in an interview in Cairo, adding that "it should happen now. We want it to happen immediately as part of this agreement", referring to the deal between Israel and Hamas.
US President Donald Trump and regional leaders on Monday signed a declaration in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to cement the deal.
"But the test of this agreement is not the photos and the press conferences and the interviews. The test is that we have children fed, that we have anaesthetics in the hospitals for people getting treatment, that we have tents over people's heads," Fletcher said.
The war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel led to a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with the densely-populated territory reliant on aid that was heavily restricted by Israel, when not cut off outright.
At the end of August, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, though Israel rejected the declaration.
The return of aid is listed in Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza.
Fletcher called for all crossings to be opened, and said that in Sharm el-Sheikh, Trump and other world leaders "were unequivocal that we must be allowed to deliver aid at massive scale".
On Thursday, Fletcher is to go to the lifeline Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt to see preparations there.
The crossing remained shut on Wednesday despite reports that it could reopen to aid convoys, as Israel insisted Hamas hand over the remains of the last deceased hostages it holds.
"I don't know at this stage whether the crossing will open for sure," Fletcher said, adding that teams were also "working to clear the road on the other side".
Fletcher said what had aid had entered so far was "a fraction of what's needed", with just "tens of trucks on a good day rather than the hundreds of trucks" required.
"There's a sense of complete urgency to this," Fletcher said.
"We are determined to get in there, stop the starvation, rebuild the health sector, clear the rubble and start to give people hope of a better life."Tom Fletcher UN humanitarian chief Gaza aid Gaza ceasefire

MENAFN15102025000067011011ID1110201679