Ceasefire agreement offers hope, but famine will persist if humanitarian access is not guaranteed, warns Action Against Hunger

• Action Against Hunger currently has over 2,000 food parcels awaiting entry in Amman and hundreds of staff members are on the ground in Gaza prepared to scale up operations the moment access is granted. 
• Action Against Hunger stresses the urgency of transforming this lifesaving opportunity into a permanent ceasefire.

After more than two years of starvation, displacement, and extreme violence resulting from Israeli military operations in Gaza, today’s announcement of a ceasefire agreement offers a long-awaited flicker of respite. Action Against Hunger stresses the urgency of transforming this lifesaving opportunity into a permanent ceasefire – one that includes the release of hostages and detainees and guarantees unrestricted access into and within Gaza.

“The halting of hostilities alone will not save lives,” said Manuel Sanchez-Montero, Action Against Hunger’s CEO. “Our teams must be granted immediate and safe access to all areas of Gaza to reach families who have been cut off from food, water, and medical care for weeks.”

Very little, if any, food or humanitarian aid has entered North Gaza or Gaza City governorates in recent weeks, where famine is spreading rapidly. Action Against Hunger teams stand ready to respond – as they did just hours after the January 2025 ceasefire – but conditions today are far more severe. Destruction is deeper, hunger is sharper, and recovery will take much longer. “We stress the importance of making every effort to implement the agreement as quickly and effectively as possible – we have aid ready to go in as of tomorrow, and it is much needed,” added Sanchez-Montero.

Action Against Hunger currently has over 2,000 food parcels awaiting entry in Amman and hundreds of staff members are on the ground in Gaza prepared to scale up operations the moment access is granted. 

“We take this moment to honor the tens of thousands of people who were killed before they could see this cause for hope, including some of our own colleagues,” said Sanchez-Montero. “Our teams will continue their mission in their memory – to save lives with dignity and compassion.” 

Action Against Hunger also warns that violence and displacement in the West Bank must not be ignored. During the last temporary ceasefire, Israeli military operations displaced more than 40,000 people in the northern West Bank, marking the largest mass displacement there since 1967. 

Action Against Hunger calls upon the international community to seize this moment to ensure that the ceasefire leads to a lasting solution that supports the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to all families in need and takes steps toward a meaningful Palestinian-led reconstruction process.