Ceasefire Brings Aid Surge as Gaza Begins Recovery Efforts

On 10 October 2025, thousands of Palestinian families moved along the coastal road back to northern Gaza amid extreme infrastructure devastation. Credit: UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

After two years of conflict with Israel, Hamas has released the remaining 20 living hostages, while Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and over 1,700 detainees who have since returned to Gaza. Following a ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, Israeli forces are set to withdraw from designated areas within the Gaza Strip as humanitarian organizations mobilize to assist Palestinians in urgent need.

For the past two years, Gaza has endured relentless bombardment, while aid deliveries were largely obstructed throughout the war. Over the past three days, the United Nations (UN) and its partners have been operating on the ground to provide lifesaving assistance to displaced civilians—many of whom are finally returning home and receiving access to basic services for the first time in months.

“After so much horror and suffering, there is finally relief at last,” said Olga Cherevko, Spokesperson in Gaza for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “Since the ceasefire took effect, the UN and our humanitarian partners have moved swiftly to scale up the delivery of aid across Gaza. The bombs have stopped falling, and with that silence came an opportunity and a responsibility to act. The ceasefire has allowed those who suffered during the two years of war—Palestinian and Israeli families—a breath of fresh air and a light of hope after many dark months.”

On October 13, OCHA confirmed that Israeli authorities had approved the delivery of more than 190,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid—roughly 20,000 tonnes above the previous agreement—including food, medicine, and shelter materials. According to Cherevko, 817 aid trucks have successfully entered Gaza without obstruction, offering relief to families devastated by the conflict.

For the first time since March, cooking gas has been delivered to households in Gaza, while many residents have also gained access to frozen meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, and flour—essentials that had been out of reach for months. “All these items, we’ve been needing for so long,” Cherevko told reporters on Tuesday. “This is going to make a massive difference in people’s lives because we’ve seen families and children collecting garbage to cook with. This will be a huge breakthrough.”

Improved security conditions within the enclave have allowed humanitarian agencies greater mobility, reaching several previously inaccessible areas—including the north, where access had been most restricted and needs are severe. OCHA has fully mobilized to deliver aid across all regions of Gaza as part of its 60-day scale-up plan for the ceasefire, which has so far proven effective.

“We’re offloading and distributing critical supplies and reaching areas we haven’t accessed for months,” said Cherevko. “With the commercial sector reinforcing our response and bilateral assistance alongside us, we’re working to restore access to clean water and ensure people receive bread and hot meals.”

The UN and its partners have been working to resupply hospitals and field clinics left without fuel or medical supplies for months, many of which were only partially operational during the war. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), within 24 hours of the ceasefire taking effect, an emergency medical team was deployed to Al-Ahli Hospital.

Eight aid trucks carrying critical medical supplies—including insulin, cancer medicines, incubators, ventilators, patient monitors, and solar panels for desalination units—have reached European Gaza and Nasser hospitals. Additional deployments are planned for Gaza City as displaced civilians begin returning home.

“Improving access to health facilities and expanding operational missions are vital first steps toward delivering urgent health assistance throughout Gaza,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “Gaza’s health system must be rehabilitated and rebuilt. This crisis gives us an opportunity to rebuild it better: stronger, fairer, and centered on people’s needs.”

Rubble and unexploded ordnance pose a significant threat to returning Palestinians and remain a top priority for OCHA during its sixty-day scale-up plan. Specialized teams are currently conducting assessments along key roads and crossings, ensuring explosive ordnance is clearly marked and communities stay away. The full extent of unexploded ordnance across the enclave has yet to be determined.

Despite marked improvements, the scale of needs remains immense, and additional funding is urgently required to support lifesaving services and ensure sustained recovery. In addition to unexploded ordnance, displacement, destroyed infrastructure, lawlessness, damaged roads, and collapsed basic services remain significant challenges.

“The ceasefire has ended the fighting but not the crisis,” Cherevko noted. “Scaling up responses is not just about logistics or more trucks. It is about restoring humanity and dignity to a shattered population. We’re working around the clock with all parties to ensure predictable, safe, and sustained access.”

On October 14, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced that an estimated USD 20 billion will be required over the next three years to initiate Gaza’s reconstruction efforts—part of a broader recovery plan that could span decades and ultimately cost more than USD 70 billion. UNDP Representative Jaco Cillers told reporters in Geneva that while there are “good indicators” of support from potential donors in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, no commitments have yet been confirmed.

Humanitarian experts have affirmed that lasting peace is the only viable solution, warning that conditions in Gaza remain fragile and could deteriorate further—especially with the onset of winter. “Let me be clear, humanitarian aid alone will not substitute for peace,” said Cherevko. “The ceasefire must hold. It must form the basis for broader political efforts to end cycles of violence and despair.

“The ceasefire has opened the door to a future where children can go to school safely, hospitals become places of healing, and aid convoys are ultimately replaced by commerce and opportunity.”