UN Relief Chief visits Gaza as humanitarian community scales up

17 October 2025

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, entered the Gaza Strip earlier today. He crossed from Egypt through the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom crossing.

He then drove to Deir al Balah, where he visited the Castle Bakery, which is one of nine bakeries that the World Food Programme supports with fuel and ingredients across southern and central Gaza. This bakery used to be the largest in Khan Younis, where it served thousands of families until it had to relocate following a displacement order. The ceasefire has meant that the bakery can access fuel and flour, allowing it to produce up to 300,000 loaves of pita bread per day.

Also in Deir al Balah, Mr. Fletcher met with those leading the Gaza offices of UN agencies there. He is set to meet more humanitarian workers later this evening and spend the night in Gaza.

In a social media post, Mr. Fletcher said that humanitarian teams are delivering on the 60-day plan to massively scale up life-saving work. “The challenges ahead are immense, but we are determined to deliver on the humanitarian possibilities created by President Trump’s peace deal,” he added.

Mr. Fletcher also briefed the Secretary-General on what he has seen and heard in Gaza so far today.

Before heading to Gaza, Mr. Fletcher was in Egypt. While in Rafah yesterday, he witnessed trucks full of aid heading to Kerem Shalom*. He thanked humanitarian teams, the Egyptian Red Crescent, the authorities, and everyone involved in getting the peace deal in place.

Mr. Fletcher also visited Al Arish Hospital in Egypt yesterday, which has treated hundreds of Palestinians evacuated from Gaza for medical care.

Yesterday, the UN and partners continued to collect medical supplies, food, fuel and other cargo from the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings**. This included 20 trucks carrying tents, diapers and hygiene kits, as well as three others loaded with personal hygiene kits, eight tankers with diesel, and two trucks carrying animal fodder, which will be distributed to herders in Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis.

OCHA reports that much more can be done once more crossings are opened, basic infrastructure is restored, NGO access is facilitated, and looting further reduces.

According to COGAT figures presented to the mediators, yesterday, 950 trucks crossed into Gaza through crossings that Israeli authorities control, including 11 trucks carrying fuel and gas – with 143 of the total trucks passing through Kissufim crossing and the remaining 807 going through Kerem Shalom. These numbers reflect trucks sent through the commercial sector, bilateral donations, and the UN-coordinated system combined.

Meanwhile, families in Gaza continue to move towards newly accessible areas. Partners monitoring the flow of people across the Strip report that on Wednesday, more than 17,600 movements were recorded from south to north, and 12,900 movements from western to eastern Khan Younis.