UN (APP – Urdu Point / Pakistan Point News – 2 Apr, 2026) The World Health Organization (WHO), a Geneva-based UN agency, has facilitated the delivery of about 106 metric tons of life-saving food supplies to the Gaza Strip – the first shipment via a sea-based aid delivery mechanism, in line with a UN Security Council resolution and amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. middle east.
Through the WHO Humanitarian Bridge Initiative in Cyprus, the shipment has arrived at the port of Ashdod in Israel and is being prepared for onward distribution to the enclave that Israel has devastated during years of bombardment.
“This shipment represents an important operational milestone in strengthening WHO’s interregional humanitarian logistics capacity for a region affected by the ongoing conflict, especially in Gaza,” the UN agency said.
The Humanitarian Bridge Initiative is a coordinated effort between WHO offices in Cyprus and the occupied Palestinian territories.
It is designed to enable timely, efficient and scalable delivery of essential health goods to the Gaza Strip by sea within the framework of Security Council Resolution 2720 (2023), which called for the establishment of a UN mechanism to enhance the delivery of aid by countries that are not party to the conflict there.
The Government of Cyprus is leading the initiative alongside UN Mechanism Team 2720 implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Together, they provide a neutral, transparent and internationally coordinated sea corridor for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The World Health Organization said, “The mechanism strengthens Cyprus’ role as a strategic humanitarian logistical starting point, and takes advantage of its geographical proximity, about 370 kilometers from Gaza, and its location within the European Union’s single market to facilitate rapid mobilization and sending of vital supplies.”
Furthermore, “by complementing Gaza’s existing humanitarian corridors and diversifying supply routes, the initiative has the potential to significantly reduce delivery timelines and alleviate operational bottlenecks that have hindered humanitarian access in the past.”
Looking to the future, WHO said the Bridge Initiative will continue to support strategic prepositioning, consolidation and rapid dispatch of essential supplies, thus strengthening the agency’s operational preparedness in Gaza as well as health emergencies and disasters across the entire region.
This development comes as the United Nations and its partners continue to provide vital aid to Gaza even as the Kerem Shalom/Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel remains the only one open for goods.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at headquarters in New York that on Tuesday, they brought more than 270,000 liters of fuel to continue vital humanitarian services.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also collected animal feed while the UN child rights agency (UNICEF) recovered more than 240 pallets of supplies including nutrition, medicines and kits containing personal care items such as sanitary pads, toothpaste and body wash.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has announced an increase in its cash assistance to revitalize local crop production for an additional 1,000 farmers in Gaza.
“This assistance builds on a successful pilot project implemented last year, when 200 farmers were able to grow more than 500 metric tons of fresh vegetables, with support from the Humanitarian Fund for the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” Dujarric said.
The UN agency estimates that farmers will be able to produce about 5,000 metric tons of vegetables — enough to feed nearly 95,000 people for an entire year — which will help address the problem. food Insecurity in Gaza while enhancing employment and income generation opportunities.