Bakeries reopen in Gaza as UN ramps up humanitarian aid amid ongoing challenges

A bakery in Deir al Balah has resumed operations just a day after humanitarian aid reached the bomb-ravaged city, signaling early signs of recovery in Gaza following the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

The bakery is one of nine World Food Programme (WFP) bakeries currently operational. The United Nations has announced plans to open 30 additional bakeries now that critical ingredients are accessible.

“They are now pumping out 300,000 pieces of bread every single day. And that's because we can now get the flour, the sugar, the yeast in, but also importantly, the fuel that actually motors these machines,” said Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
“It just demonstrates that when a ceasefire holds, we can really quickly rebuild, we can get the food production working again. This is going to head off the starvation that we've seen — by opening up these bakeries, these kitchens, by pumping out food at this level, we want to get a million meals out there every day, and we're on track to do that…”

Despite the progress, the UN warns that convoys are struggling to reach famine-hit areas in northern Gaza due to war-damaged roads and the continued closure of key routes.

Since the ceasefire, an average of 560 metric tons of food has entered Gaza each day, but the WFP says this remains far below the scale of need. Thousands of additional aid vehicles would be required weekly to address widespread malnutrition, homelessness, and infrastructure collapse, particularly in the Gaza City region.

The reopening of bakeries highlights both the resilience of local communities and the critical role of humanitarian aid in preventing further famine amid ongoing recovery efforts.

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