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Even if the border entry point from Egypt becomes operational soon, aid groups confront significant obstacles delivering aid to the northern region, the region most severely affected by food shortages, specialists report.

Infrastructure Issues

Key roads are practically unusable due to widespread damage across the devastated territory – or remain controlled by security personnel. Any transport that stops working is probably will be instantly looted.

The main entry point, the key gateway to the northern region, damaged by 24 months of war, has been inactive for many days, and government representatives have informed humanitarian organizations in Gaza that there are no immediate plans to activate the entry location, as stated by relief personnel.

Destruction in Northern Gaza

Gaza City was the objective of a significant armed campaign initiated in August that was ongoing when the peace agreement was signed last week.

Damage in the northern area has been massive, with entire towns including local municipalities and Beit Hanoun in ruins as well as many of the outlying areas of Gaza City.

"Any operation of a crossing into Gaza is positive, but we need to make sure we can help civilians where they are," said an experienced official from a humanitarian organization.

Humanitarian Situation

Local residents said many of the approximately 300,000 people who have come back to the north from the overcrowded coastal zone where they had been living during the Israeli offensive were now "living" among the debris of their homes, often without any housing and with scarce nutrition or hydration.

A spokesperson from an international organization said the devastation in northern Gaza was "shocking".

"There is street after street, home after home ... there is urgent requirement for water. The situation is dire. We need all the crossings operational," the representative, who was in the northern city recently, added.

Restricted Distribution

A local director working from the northern city said the requirements in what used to be the area's active economic and cultural hub were "enormous".

"There is positive expectation and optimism but there needs to be immediate enhancement on the access routes. We haven't seen any significant change on the situation yet," the director stated.

"We are still getting a insufficient volume of support [and] we are just beginning to comprehend the level of devastation. Numerous roads are completely covered in debris ... there is scarcely a building that is secure. We see destruction and live explosives everywhere."

Ongoing Progress

In recent days, aid agencies said small quantities of necessary propane reached Gaza for the first instance in many weeks, along with deliveries of wheat, grains and produce. The additional resources sent market costs decreasing.

In the central town, a civilian said there had been certain progress since the ceasefire.

"The markets are containing food, fresh goods, and fresh fruit, although the prices are still high and not accessible for all people," the person said.

Cold Season Needs

"The primary requirements currently, particularly given the arrival of colder weather, are to have a tent to shelter us from the cold and warm garments because the markets do not have enough clothes for us or, if they can be found, they are extremely limited and prohibitively costly."

Nine internationally-backed bread-making centers in various locations have restarted operations since the truce.

Assistance Delivery

Trucks were stated to have entered the border access point from Israel to Gaza during the week, though exact numbers were unclear.

Israel's public broadcaster stated that the day's aid deliveries would include nutritional supplies, healthcare equipment, energy sources, fuel for cooking and equipment to repair crucial facilities.

"Humanitarian aid remains flowing to the Gaza Strip through the humanitarian corridor and alternative access points after safety verification," an Israeli security official said.

Delivery Complications

But tracking the number of trucks could be deceptive, cautioned a specialist from an international NGO. "It's crucial to understand the materials within the vehicles and their capacity levels for it to be a genuinely useful metric," the official stated.

Commercial operators are transporting groups of vehicles carrying confectionery, carbonated beverages and snacks, which have poor dietary quality, while emergency treatments for minors or people who have lacked proper sustenance for multiple years are unavailable.

Healthcare Status

Throughout the main city, only seven nutritional outpatient clinics are functioning, compared with numerous in earlier this year.

Numerous organizations have millions of dollars worth of supplies warehoused near the territory awaiting entry. A UN agency supporting Palestinians across the territory for a long time has multiple months of supplies of food for everyone in Gaza ready to be delivered.

"We have the resources, the tools and the skills ... we only require the permission," said one aid worker, who recently came back from Gaza.

Political Considerations

A diplomatic framework details that "comprehensive" support should be delivered to Gaza and be provided through humanitarian bodies and relief organizations, without interference from either armed factions or national security.

This seems to prevent the disputed Israel-backed aid group which began operations in spring, causing chaotic scenes and numerous casualties as large groups of people gathered around its aid locations.

Humanitarian workers in Gaza {told|informed