(MENAFN) Despite an increase in humanitarian shipments following the Gaza ceasefire, critical obstacles are still preventing lifesaving aid from reaching millions in need, the United Nations warned on Friday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that assistance is currently funneled through just two crossings, with “no direct access from Israel to northern Gaza or from Egypt to southern Gaza.” OCHA added that restrictions remain on certain supplies and personnel from non-governmental organizations.

According to UN partners working on shelter relief, most displaced residents are still living in cramped, makeshift encampments—many set up spontaneously in unsafe or open areas. These agencies said they have sufficient materials ready to cover most shelter needs for nearly 1.5 million Palestinians “once impediments are lifted.”

Progress has been more tangible on food distribution, OCHA noted. From the Oct. 10 ceasefire until Nov. 3, more than 37,000 metric tonnes of aid—predominantly food—have been collected from Gaza’s crossings by the UN 2720 Mechanism, OCHA said.

Since the truce began, the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided food aid to over one million people through distributions, hot meals, bakery support, fortified snacks for children, expanded nutrition programs, and digital cash assistance.

A joint geospatial analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) found that only 13 percent of Gaza’s cropland remains undamaged. Most of the surviving farmland is inaccessible, located in zones where Israeli forces continue to be deployed.

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