The China Mail - Aid groups seize on truce to tackle Gaza hunger

But optimism was marked with caution.

The fragile truce could open access, but aid agencies fear Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump's plan.

Logistical hurdles are far from the mind of displaced father Marwan al-Madhun. The 34-year-old just wants to know when the trucks will arrive.

"My children are mainly happy to know that meat and chicken will arrive at last," he told AFP in central Gaza, as tens of thousands of Palestinians started to walk back to homes destroyed during fighting in the north.

"It's been two years that they've been deprived," he said. "At last, the crossing points will open!"

- Famine declared -

On August 22, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, after experts warned 500,000 people faced a "catastrophic" threat.

Israel has accused Hamas of manufacturing a crisis and stealing aid.

Now, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs says Israel has approved delivery of 170,000 tonnes of aid under a response plan for the first 60 days of truce.

"The most basic necessities are still urgently needed in Gaza: medical equipment, medicines, food, water, fuel, and adequate shelter for two million people who will face the approaching winter without a roof over their heads." said Jacob Granger, Gaza coordinator for Doctors Without Borders.

Representatives of Granger's organisation, the World Food Programme and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said they were ready to step up shipments, but much remains unclear.

"The difficulty we have now is questions of access," said Antoine Renard, WFP director in the Palestinian territories, speaking from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

The WFP, which leads the group of organisations handling food security, has begun discussions with COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry agency for civilian affairs in the territories.

On Friday, empty WFP trucks were seen leaving Khan Yunis in southern Gaza and heading to the Kerem Shalom crossing to be loaded with food aid for distribution inside Gaza.

The Trump plan foresees a return to the UN-led aid system in place before January 2025, when Israel sealed Gaza's borders and a private US-led operation took over aid distribution.

"But the conditions on the ground are different," Renard said.

Since Israel's latest offensive into the cities in the north of Gaza last month, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been driven from the homes -- many of which were destroyed -- into central and southern Gaza.

This has shifted pressure for food aid into a now overcrowded area whose original residents were already struggling.

The Trump plan states "full aid will be immediately sent to the Gaza Strip" as soon as the agreement comes into effect, "without interference from either party."

Several humanitarian sources expressed optimism, despite concerns about security and registration procedures, on which Israel has yet to provide guidance.

- 'Bargaining chip' -

"We are pushing different embassies and donors to speak to the Israeli authorities on their end, because we need, for example, trucks that can make round trips to the distribution platforms without facing constraints on the Israeli side," an official from a medical agency told AFP.

Since spring, most of the aid on which Palestinian civilians depend has been supplied by the private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The UN Human Rights Office says GHF operations -- supported by the United States and Israel -- have seen 1,000 people killed near distribution sites.

Several aid officials told AFP they were not involved in planning for the ceasefire.

"We don't have a lot of visibility on what exactly has been agreed on yet, but we will do everything we can," said Shaina Low, NRC spokeswoman.

"Humanitarian aid should never be subject to negotiation -- it's a fundamental right for people in need," she argued.

"The fact that it's tied to a ceasefire deal is problematic, as it should not be used as a bargaining chip -- just as the hostages never should have been."

F.Jackson--ThChM