Food and other vital aid is flowing into Gaza after 15 months of hunger and scarcity.

The amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza rose dramatically on Sunday, with more than 630 trucks entering the poor and hungry enclave on the first day of the ceasefire, according to UN officials – the highest number since the start of the war more than a year ago. 15 months ago.

The truce allowed the UN World Food Program to “bring in urgently needed food aid on a large scale and begin lifting war-torn lands from famine,” the agency said in a statement. statement Sunday. Tom Fletcher, UN relief coordinator, said: statement On Monday, more than 300 trucks headed to northern Gaza, where aid has been scarce and where humanitarian relief officials have sought refuge. He warned of possible famine.

during the war, below 100 trucks entered the enclave daily, and shipments were delivered Sometimes It has been suspended. Aid agencies have accused Israel of restricting deliveries through strict inspections and closing border crossings, which Israel has denied, and said at least 200 trucks a day are needed to provide food, medicine, fuel, clean water and other necessities.

As the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered into force, aid convoys appeared to enter Gaza without problems, and there were no attempts to enter Gaza. Theft or plunder The aid was reported on Sunday or Monday, according to Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for the main UN agency helping the Palestinians. She added that local police officers were present in some parts of Gaza to secure convoys, while there was no need for security in other areas.

Police officers and uniformed armed fighters, rarely seen in the open during the war, appeared in cities and towns across Gaza after the ceasefire took effect. It was a clear demonstration by Hamas, which has controlled the Strip for years, that it still holds power and plans to hold on to power.

Videos posted on social media showed convoys driving through Gaza on Sunday, with people quietly gathering on the sides of roads, refraining from approaching trucks. It was a stark contrast to the horrific scenes Delivering aid in times of warWhen desperate crowds gathered and boarded trucks in the hope of getting a food package or a bag of flour, it sometimes led to violence.

“What is very noticeable is that none of the trucks that entered yesterday were looted,” said Nepal Farsakh, spokeswoman for the Palestinian Red Crescent. She added: “This was the first time in 15 months that this number of trucks entered Gaza.”

What is less clear is how efficiently and fairly aid was distributed after it entered Gaza, and some residents said they had not yet received or even seen aid. Ms. Touma said UNRWA staff and aid workers from other agencies were still sorting the aid that had arrived since Sunday before it was finally delivered to the people.

Mustafa Al-Alul, a 22-year-old young man from northern Gaza, said: “It is the second day of the ceasefire, and they said that aid and flour have arrived, but unfortunately we have not seen any of it yet.” “Right now, the markets literally have nothing,” he added.

Gaza’s Ministry of Social Development, part of the Hamas-led administration, said in a statement on Monday that it had “made all preparations to receive aid” and would provide all necessary permits for relief organizations to receive and distribute aid. The ministry said: “Work will be carried out in a coordinated manner between all partners to ensure fair distribution of aid to all citizens,” adding that aid will be provided to families inside and outside shelter centers and tent camps.

Israeli officials accused Hamas of hoarding essential supplies to serve its members and controlling the population, and there were reports of profiteers seizing aid and then selling it on the black market. Aid officials say the solution is to end scarcity.

Ms. Touma said that the convoys entering Gaza included some trucks carrying commercial goods for sale, which rarely reach Gaza during the war.

“There were many goods that people took for granted that were largely missing from the market,” Ms. Touma said in an interview on Monday. “So it’s very good that commercial supplies are arriving as well because you can’t turn two million people in Gaza into a country that depends solely on aid,” she added.

The World Food Program said that on Sunday it delivered ready-to-eat meals and bags of wheat flour. The plan aims to send at least 150 trucks loaded with food to Gaza daily, along with other supplies, in addition to restocking bakeries and providing nutritional supplements to children facing malnutrition.

Amira Harouda Contributed to the preparation of reports from Qatar, Matthew Mbok Big From London and Vivian Yee From Cairo.