UN food program chief says organization lost communication with humanitarian teams in Gaza

The United Nations’ World Food Programme said Saturday the humanitarian organization has lost contact with their aid teams in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists.

WFP chief Cindy McCain made the announcement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after communications to people in Gaza were cut.

“The silence is deafening,” McCain wrote. “As conflict rages on, I am extremely worried for the safety of all humanitarian workers and civilians. We are at a tipping point. Humanity must prevail.”

This comes during Israel’s continued expansion of its ground attack against Gaza after cutting communications to the region. The residents of Gaza are now left without cellphone or radio service as Israeli forces attack Hamas from the ground, sea and air.

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More than 8,700 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on October 7, leading to retaliatory action from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.

McCain said food assistance from the U.N. has not been able to reach civilians in Gaza because of the recent attacks.

“With communications cut in #Gaza, our lifesaving food assistance is at a standstill. We cannot reach staff and partners, or the people who rely on us,” McCain said in another post on X. “We urgently need the ability to operate and sustained access for humanitarian assistance. Every minute counts.”

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company’s Starlink satellite internet service will support internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza, although a timetable for when the connectivity in the region would be available is unclear given that access to the service requires certain technological equipment.

The international community has been working to supply civilians of Gaza with humanitarian aid, including food, water and medical supplies, in the wake of the violence in the region. This aid that began crossing into Gaza includes a 20-truck convoy carrying humanitarian assistance that was delivered to the region through the Rafah border crossing more than a week ago.

There have been calls from countries around the world for additional aid to be supplied to civilians stranded in Gaza.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said Saturday morning he was surprised by Israel’s overnight airstrikes in Gaza.

“I was encouraged by what seemed to be a growing consensus for the need of at least a humanitarian pause in the Middle East,” he wrote on X. “Regrettably, instead I was surprised by an unprecedented escalation of bombardments, undermining humanitarian objectives.”

The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees warned last week that relief operations could be significantly cut due to Israel’s blockade of fuel. The organization said fuel deliveries are needed to ensure people in Gaza have clean drinking water, hospitals can remain open and life-saving aid operations can continue.