UN says Gaza food security has improved but remains fragile

Food security and child nutrition have improved across the Gaza Strip, but the gains remain fragile because only one aid crossing point is open, the UN's World Food Programme said on Thursday. The Rome-based agency said the improvement was driven largely by expanded access to humanitarian food, nutrition, agricultural and health assistance.

The World Food Programme said access into Gaza has improved, but only the Kerem Shalom/Abu Salem crossing in southern Gaza remains open. It said this limits the flow of essential goods.

The agency said there has been a significant increase in food and nutritional aid since a ceasefire agreement was reached in October 2025. It said food parcels were delivered to about 1.5 million people in May. Around 700,000 people received cash assistance, and 60 percent of children under five received nutritional support.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher called last month for all crossing points into Gaza to be opened and for Israeli restrictions on the entry of goods such as medical equipment and fuel to be lifted immediately.

The World Food Programme said there are early signs that local food production in Gaza can be restored where farmers and herders can access cropland, agricultural inputs, productive assets, veterinary support and other essential services, including energy for irrigation. It said sheep inventories have risen by 33 percent in areas where support has been sustained.

But the agency said this progress has limits unless restrictions on what enters Gaza are removed. It said the two-year war between Israeli forces and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas severely damaged Gaza's agricultural sector. More than 70 percent of Gaza's cropland is not accessible, and only 3 percent is currently usable, according to the World Food Programme.