Gaza eventually received more aid. It needs a Flood.

Outside a warehouse in southern Gaza one day this week, a small group of men and boys waited their turn to receive a small amount of humanitarian aid that Gaza desperately needs — the sick, the hungry , cold — Gaza. They set off with piles of flour and cardboard boxes, many dragging their valuables behind them on two-wheeled shopping carts.

It was a sight of peace that had become rare in the province since the war began more than 15 months ago. Israeli restrictions on aid, the collapse of security that has allowed the widespread looting of aid trucks and other obstacles have combined to limit the supply of food, water, tents, medicine and fuel to civilians. in the Israeli siege of the area.

In the week since the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Palestinians in Gaza and aid officials say deliveries of food and other essential goods have increased. necessary, despite logistical challenges and uncertainty about the duration of the cessation.

The United Nations moved as much food into Gaza in three days this week as it did in the entire month of October, the interim head of the country’s humanitarian office said. United for Gaza, Jonathan Whittall, in his speech on Thursday.

United Nations agencies and other aid groups have distributed medical supplies and fuel to hospitals and water wells, among other types of aid, and are helping to build major infrastructure. Tents were set up soon, and bakers are expected to start supplying bread on Friday, the United Nations said.

Since the start of the ceasefire, the civilian police of the Hamas government have re-emerged, seemingly restoring order and security to the region. Hamas’s display of control, however, could complicate any hope for lasting peace in Gaza.

COGAT, the Israeli government agency that monitors policy in Gaza and the West Bank, did not respond to a request for comment, but said in a social media post on Friday that 4,200 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip last week after that. inspection.

During the war, Israel said it was not restricting aid to Gaza and blamed humanitarian agencies for not distributing supplies they brought into the neighborhood after testing.

In total, anywhere between 600 to 900 aid trucks a day have arrived in Gaza since the cease-fire began on Jan. 19, down from dozens of trucks. a few that have logged in every day for the past few months.

On Tuesday, Kholoud al-Shanna, 43, and his family received a bag of flour from the World Food Program for the first time in two months.

It is welcome. But “we still lack the basics,” said Ms. al-Shanna. “My children have not eaten fresh vegetables for so long that they have almost forgotten their taste.” How can we survive on flour alone?”

There has been improvement in this area as well. Before the war, Gaza was given a mix of aid and trade goods. Fresh imported produce, meat and other foodstuffs continued to be sold in the market until Israel banned most commercial goods late last year, saying it was profiting from Hamas trade. Commercial shipments entered Gaza this week, according to aid workers, bringing fresh vegetables and chocolate to market at cheaper prices than shoppers have seen in months. many.

The distribution of aid once inside Gaza is still a work in progress. Many roads have been destroyed after 15 months of fighting, although Gaza’s municipalities are beginning to clear the debris. There are still unexploded ordnance, making distribution and manufacturing dangerous.

About 500 trucks carrying aid and commercial goods entered Gaza every day before the war. The cease-fire agreement predicts 600 vehicles entering each day, which aid officials say would be difficult to sustain on their own. .

“This cannot be handed over to the United Nations, there is no way,” said Philippe Lazzarini, president of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, the first life for Palestinian refugees, several days before the cease-fire began.

UNRWA’s dire situation could be another obstacle: While UN officials say the agency is crucial to aid efforts because it is at the heart of the supply and service chain in Gaza, then Israel moved to ban the agency over accusations that it had protected Hamas militants. Aid officials say there is no comparable replacement.

The biggest challenge of all is the level of emergency. While aid may be rolling in now, aid officials say, Gaza is so short of aid that it needs a deluge of supplies to stabilize the population and prevent more deaths, if not more. to say nothing of the repair at the end.

Gaza also needs educational, psychological and other support services to rebuild, officials said.

The number of trucks that have just entered Gaza is “still a pittance in comparison to the amount of aid needed to meet the major famine in a year and a half,” said Bob Kitchen, the vice president of emergency relief. . in the International Rescue Committee.

Some obstacles are slowly giving way. The apparent willingness to boost aid has solved what officials and aid-giving governments say is the biggest obstacle to getting Gaza what it needs. Claiming that its goal is to keep Hamas from returning by sending aid, Israel has imposed strict controls on aid entering Gaza and restricted its movement once inside Gaza, often delaying or directly stopped the transmission.

Aid workers no longer need to ask permission from the Israeli military to move around Gaza, except from south to north, speeding up the process. Before the ceasefire, many trucks assigned to bring aid to warehouses around the site were crippled due to lack of fuel; now the oil comes in.

Israel still bans agencies from including a long list of items that aid officials say are essential for emergencies but Israel considers “dual use,” meaning they could be used by Hamas for They are also for military purposes. This includes everything from scissors to tent equipment.

Some of those restrictions have been lifted, however, aid officials said, and talks are ongoing about further waivers.

Looting has been another problem that has plagued aid distribution in Gaza for months, diverting much of the aid to civilians.

The situation in Gaza worsened after the Israeli army attacked Rafah, in southern Gaza, in May, seeking to oust Hamas from what Israel said was one of its strongholds. last he got. Hamas security forces fled, and organized gangs — unstoppable — that began blocking aid trucks after they crossed into Gaza.

International aid workers have accused Israel of ignoring the problem and allowing looters to operate with impunity. The United Nations has refused to allow aid convoys to protect Israeli soldiers, fearing they could undermine neutrality, and its officials have called on Israel to allow the Gaza police, who are under the authority of Hamas, to ensure their station.

Israel, which seeks to destroy Hamas in Gaza, accuses him of stealing aid and says the police are part of its tools. Eventually, security deteriorated and many aid groups withheld their deliveries to the Gaza border rather than risk the dangerous drive into Gaza.

But fears that organized looting would resume as the shooting subsided. Police are again patrolling most of Gaza. While some people are still pulling boxes from trucks – scenes described by aid officials and seen by New York Times reporters – it is now on a smaller scale.

Palestinians in Gaza say that as aid increases, people will have less incentive to loot.

“I have seen a clear improvement — many people are receiving food items today,” said Rami Abu Sharkh, 44, an accountant from Gaza City who was displaced in southern Gaza. “I hope this will continue until the theft is completely eliminated.”

Farnaz Fassihi contributed reporting from New York.