After 15 months of famine and shortages, food and other vital aid has flown into Gaza.

The flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza rose dramatically on Sunday, with more than 630 trucks entering the impoverished and starving areas on the first day of a ceasefire, according to UN officials – the highest number since the war began. 15 months ago.

The truce has allowed the UN’s World Food Program to “modestly deliver emergency food aid and begin to bring the war-torn region back from famine,” the agency said. press release Sunday. Tom United Nations aid chief Fletcher in a statement press release On Monday, more than 300 trucks headed to northern Gaza, where aid is scarce and humanitarian officials have warned of famine.

During the war, fewer than 100 trucks a day entered the region, and deliveries were sometimes interrupted. Aid agencies have accused Israel of restricting exports through heavy inspections and the closure of border crossings; Israel denied it. He said at least 200 trucks a day are required to deliver food, medicine, fuel, clean water and other essentials.

As a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas took effect, aid convoys appeared to have entered Gaza without incident, and no attempts to steal or loot the aid were reported on Sunday or Monday, said Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for the top UN agency. He helps the Palestinians. It said local police officers were present in some areas of Gaza to protect the convoys, but no protection was needed in other areas.

Uniformed police officers and armed fighters, rarely seen on the ground during the war, have been seen in Gaza’s towns and cities since the ceasefire. It was a sign that Hamas, which has controlled the area for years, is still in power and plans to take over.

Videos posted on social media showed convoys driving through Gaza on Sunday, with people calmly gathering on the side of the road, avoiding approaching the vehicles. It was a stark contrast to the apocalyptic scenes of aid deliveries during the war, when desperate people piled into cars hoping to find a packet of food or a bag of flour, sometimes resulting in violence.

“The most striking thing is that none of the trucks that came in yesterday were looted,” said Nebal Farsak, a spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent. “And this was the first time in 15 months that this many trucks entered Gaza,” she added.

What is less clear is how efficiently and fairly aid is being distributed after it enters Gaza, and some residents say they have yet to receive or see the aid. Ms. Tuma said UNRWA staff and relief workers from other agencies are still sorting through the aid that has arrived since Sunday before finally delivering it to people.

“It’s the second day of the ceasefire and they said aid and flour have come in, but unfortunately we haven’t seen anything yet,” said Mustafa al-Alol, 22, from northern Gaza. “Right now the markets don’t really have anything,” he added.

Gaza’s Ministry of Social Development, which is part of the Hamas-led administration, said in a statement on Monday that it had “made all arrangements to receive aid” and would issue all necessary permits to aid organizations to receive and distribute them. “Coordinated work will be done between all partners so that aid is distributed fairly to all citizens,” the ministry said, adding that support would be given to families in shelters and tents.

Israeli officials have accused Hamas of stockpiling vital supplies to serve its own members and control the population, and there have been reports of lucrative dealers taking the aid and selling it on the black market. Aid officials say the solution is to end shortages.

According to Mrs. Tuma, the convoys that entered Gaza included trucks carrying commercial goods, some of which rarely reached Gaza during the war.

“There were a lot of items that people took for granted that were missing from the market,” Ms Tuma said in an interview on Monday. “So it’s great that trade supplies are coming in as well because you can’t make the two million people in Gaza a country that is dependent on aid.

The World Food Program (WFP) said on Sunday it had delivered ready-to-eat meals and bags of wheat flour. It aims to send at least 150 trucks of food to Gaza every day, along with other supplies, as well as rehabilitate bakeries and provide nutritional supplements to malnourished children.

Amera Haroda Reported from Qatar, Matthew Mpok Big From London and Vivian Yeh From Cairo.