Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza

Gaza, Oct 11: Moments after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza, displaced Palestinians began moving back toward northern areas, prompting a renewed humanitarian response from the United Nations. However, efforts were quickly complicated as Israeli tanks reportedly blocked Al Rashid Road, a key coastal route, halting movement and raising concerns about access and safety, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Some of those who successfully returned to Gaza City were met with the grim reality of additional destruction to their homes, OCHA reported. Despite the ceasefire, the humanitarian landscape remains fragile and uncertain.

The UN emphasized that it and its humanitarian partners are prepared to immediately escalate relief efforts — but only if conditions on the ground allow for safe, unimpeded access. OCHA underscored the urgent need to rebuild Gaza's battered infrastructure, warning that two years of relentless conflict have left the territory in dire need of rehabilitation.

Appealing to all parties supporting the ceasefire, the UN called for a coordinated push to ensure humanitarian operations can proceed without obstruction. “Aid must flow at scale in order for the UN and its partners to reach everyone in need and alleviate people’s suffering,” said the agency.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, confirmed that discussions with Israeli authorities are ongoing to determine what aid can enter Gaza, how much, and through which routes. “What has changed dramatically… is the fact that the guns appear to have been silenced,” Dujarric noted, highlighting that the relative calm has made it safer for humanitarian workers to resume operations.

“We’re working through the system,” he added. “We’re trying to get all of that aid that’s in the pipeline and that’s ready to go in, to go in.”

According to UN estimates, approximately 170,000 metric tonnes of aid and essential supplies are currently awaiting clearance. The urgency to deliver them is rising as displaced populations attempt to return home amidst the wreckage — and with hope that the silence of weapons marks the beginning of recovery.