UN Ready with Gaza Aid Plan Amid Ceasefire but Funding Lags at 28%

​​​​​​​United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher has revealed that the international organization stands prepared to implement an extensive humanitarian operation throughout Gaza following the establishment of a ceasefire agreement. During a virtual briefing Thursday, Fletcher emphasized that while UN agencies have developed detailed plans for immediate aid delivery, critical funding shortfalls and access restrictions continue to threaten the mission's effectiveness.

Fletcher outlined an ambitious 60-day emergency response plan designed to reach 2.1 million people requiring food assistance and 500,000 needing nutritional support through hundreds of daily aid trucks. The strategy includes restoring Gaza's "decimated health system" with emergency medical teams, providing cash assistance to 200,000 families, supporting bakeries and community kitchens, and restoring livelihoods for herders and fishers. Additionally, the plan aims to deliver clean water and sanitation to 1.4 million residents, distribute thousands of tents weekly, and reopen learning spaces for 700,000 school-aged children.

The UN official issued a stark warning regarding the financial viability of the humanitarian operation, noting that only 28% of the required $4 billion for the 2025 flash appeal for occupied Palestinian territories has been secured. Fletcher urgently appealed to "every government, every state, every individual" to demonstrate generosity, emphasizing "now is the time to make that generosity count, to help us deliver, to help us save so many lives in the Gaza Strip." He simultaneously demanded complete lifting of the blockade and guaranteed "unimpeded humanitarian access" as essential prerequisites for successful implementation.

While acknowledging the ceasefire as a critical opportunity, Fletcher cautioned that the humanitarian crisis "won't go away in two months," requiring sustained international engagement. The UN plan aligns with the 20-point framework announced by US President Donald Trump on September 29, which includes prisoner exchanges, permanent ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, and eventual reconstruction. Fletcher stressed that "famine must be reverted in areas where it has taken hold and prevented in others," highlighting the severe food insecurity conditions throughout Gaza despite the diplomatic breakthrough.