For two days, WFP head Carl Skau has been in Gaza and visited the aid organization’s operations.
The situation in northern Gaza has brightened somewhat, he says, but the situation remains acute throughout the region.
– What is striking is the destruction. Entire cities are completely destroyed, he tells TV4 Nyheterna.
When Carl Skau drove through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza on Wednesday, he did so in an armored car – and the convoy was constantly in contact with the Israeli army to avoid being attacked.
A few weeks ago one of their employees was killed by a tank and in the last week two rockets have hit their warehouse.
– I can’t think of any other place where the situation is this bad for humanitarian personnel. Our colleagues are very nervous and that was partly why I was there, says Carl Skau.
Children are acutely malnourished
The convoy drove up the coast to northern Gaza, where the WFP last April warned of famine. Since then, things have brightened up a bit, says Carl Skau, after the organization gained better access and managed to bring in, among other things, bread and cans of beans and tuna.
– We have not turned the curve completely, but now there is a fairly good supply of basic necessities. What is needed is varied nutrition, some form of vegetables or fruit. Not least for all children who are acutely malnourished.
Yesterday, the convoy stopped in a city in central Gaza, where the WFP had to move its office after the invasion of Rafah. Carl Skau fell asleep to the sound of artillery fire and drones in a room with seven colleagues.
Live in tents – if they’re lucky
Earlier today they visited some of the hundreds of thousands of people evacuated from Rafah in southern Gaza.
– They are along the beach and live, if they are lucky, in tents – otherwise under the open sky. The situation is catastrophic. There, too, we have been given access to some of our food, but more is needed.
In recent days, discussions about a ceasefire and possibly some kind of peace have intensified. But even if the fighting stops, the humanitarian situation will be difficult, and it will continue to be difficult to get sufficient help in time.
Total breakdown of law and order
During the war, Gaza’s private sector has almost collapsed, and a condition for the situation to improve in the long term is that grocery stores and other businesses can start up again. WFP has tried to remedy this by using, for example, local transport companies for its aid efforts, but the starting distance is still believed to be long.
– A major problem is also the total breakdown of law and order. It is a security vacuum now that creates great challenges.