WFP welcomes the long-overdue ceasefire as a vital first step. Following the ceasefire, WFP trucks started crossing into Gaza via Zikim and Kerem Shalom/Karam Abu Salem crossings, to deliver life-saving wheat flour and ready-to-eat food parcels to those in urgent need.
As the ceasefire violations persist and the needs remain high, it is vital to ensure timely assistance for the vulnerable people returning to their destroyed villages and those still displaced.
From 08 and 09 December, the ETC paused all activities to concentrate on staff safety, relocation, and business continuity―following the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s administration, on 08 December, which escalated the security situation across Syria.
The World Food Programme (WFP) strongly condemns the horrifying incident on January 5, when a clearly marked WFP convoy was shot at by Israeli forces near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint, putting the lives of our staff at tremendous risk and leaving the vehicles immobilized.
Syria's ongoing transition highlights the urgency to respond to substantial unmet food security and humanitarian needs and simultaneously foster the recovery of individuals, communities and markets impacted by 14 years of conflict.
WFP completed its November emergency cash assistance cycle, leveraging existing safety nets to support an additional 36,000 Lebanese people affected by the conflict. In total, WFP provided emergency cash assistance to 247,000 affected Lebanese people during the November cycle.
Lebanon faces extraordinarily challenging times. While the ceasefire brings hope, the crisis is far from over. Displacement continues. Many communities remain unreachable. Humanitarian assistance will be needed for months.
WFP is closely monitoring population movements following the ceasefire, swiftly adapting its assistance to meet the urgent needs of both displaced individuals and returnees. Since 23 September, WFP reached 497,900 people with cash and food assistance including the provision of 4.5 million meals.
WFP’s Market Functionality Index (MFI) is a quantitative measure of the functioning of markets based on a trader survey. It is designed to provide insights into the feasibility of market-based interventions.
Nearly two months since the onset of hostilities on 23 September 2024, WFP has significantly scaled up its emergency response, reaching almost half a million conflict-affected people with food and/or cash assistance.
