Aid is rushing into Gaza while the cease-fire holds

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Humanitarian supplies are pouring into the Gaza Strip at an unprecedented rate, as foreign governments and aid groups race during a pause in the fighting to bring much needed relief to the beleaguered population. The flows enabled by the cease-fire deal that went into effect Sunday morning are exceeding the 600 trucks a day called for in the agreement.

In the first two days, 1,545 trucks have entered the enclave, according to data from the United Nations. That is also up from the 1,460 trucks that entered in the first 10 days of the month combined, according to Cogat, the Israeli military agency responsible for policy in the occupied Palestinian territories. Thousands more trucks are lined up at the Egyptian border to deliver flour, fuel and other basic supplies in the coming days.

Aid is also flowing into northern Gaza, which has been largely cut off since October by an Israeli military offensive. With the risk that fighting could resume at any time, aid groups see the pause as an opportunity to get as much assistance to Gaza’s population as possible. “There is definitely a desire to capitalize on the momentum that we have and the window that we have without a guarantee beyond phase one," said Kate Phillips-Barrasso, vice president for global policy and advocacy at Mercy Corps.

Security officials stood guard as trucks entered Gaza after the truce. Prices for food have been falling with the improving outlook for supply, aid organizations and Gaza residents say. Leena Ahmed, 29, a mother of two in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, said the prices of key goods dropped after the cease-fire was announced—with chicken and sugar down by nearly half, and flour down about 85%.