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Even if the Rafah crossing with Egypt starts functioning in the coming days, humanitarian organizations encounter major difficulties delivering assistance to Gaza City, the territory most severely affected by starvation, according to experts.

Transportation Challenges

Major routes are virtually unusable due to widespread damage across the conflict-affected area – or are still controlled by Israeli forces. Any vehicle that malfunctions is likely to be immediately stripped.

The primary crossing, the main entry point to the northern territories, devastated by multiple years of conflict, has been inactive for many days, and government representatives have notified NGOs in Gaza that there are no current intentions to open the crossing, according to aid workers.

Devastation in Northern Territories

The main city was the objective of a large-scale military operation initiated in August that was continuing when the peace agreement was finalized last week.

Damage in the north has been massive, with complete communities including Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun in destroyed as well as many of the surrounding regions of the urban center.

"Any opening of a access route into Gaza is welcome, but we need to guarantee we can access populations where they are," said a policy expert from a relief agency.

Aid Conditions

Observers said many of the estimated 300,000 people who have gone back to the northern area from the overcrowded coastal zone where they had been sheltering during the military operations were now "living" among the ruins of their homes, often without any protection and with insufficient food or water.

A spokesperson from a humanitarian body said the damage in the northern territories was "shocking".

"We see block after block, building after building ... there is urgent requirement for water. The situation is dire. We must have each access route operational," the spokesperson, who was in Gaza City in recent days, added.

Limited Access

A local director based in Gaza City said the necessities in what used to be the region's bustling commercial and community focal point were "immense".

"There is this optimism and hope but there needs to be immediate enhancement on the crossings. We didn't witness major improvement on the reality yet," the director commented.

"There remains a very limited amount of support [and] we are just beginning to understand the degree of destruction. Numerous roads are just full of debris ... there is almost no home that is undamaged. There remains harm and live explosives everywhere."

Recent Developments

In recent days, relief groups said small quantities of vital cooking gas entered Gaza for the first time in many weeks, along with deliveries of grain products, grains and fresh vegetables. The recent deliveries sent market costs tumbling.

In the central town, a local resident said there had been noticeable change since the truce.

"The markets are full of products, vegetables, and fresh fruit, although the rates are continuing to be expensive and not attainable for all people," the person stated.

Cold Season Preparations

"The crucial necessities currently, particularly given the approach of the cold season, are to have a shelter to keep us safe from the cold weather and winter clothes because the stores do not have adequate garments for us or, if they are available, they are extremely limited and very expensive."

Nine organization-assisted food preparation facilities in mid and southern regions have resumed functioning since the truce.

Aid Transport

Vehicles were announced to have come through the humanitarian corridor through Israeli territory to Gaza during the week, though precise counts were uncertain.

Israel's news organization stated that recent aid deliveries would include food, medical supplies, fuel, fuel for cooking and equipment to restore vital infrastructure.

"Humanitarian aid keeps coming into the Gaza territory through the border access point and additional routes after safety verification," an government spokesperson said.

Allocation Challenges

But tracking the number of trucks could be inaccurate, cautioned an expert from an international NGO. "It's crucial to understand what is in the trucks and their loading status for it to be a really meaningful indicator," the expert stated.

Commercial operators are transporting groups of vehicles carrying chocolate, carbonated beverages and treats, which have minimal health benefits, while urgent medical support for minors or individuals who have been without adequate food for an extended period are unavailable.

Treatment Situation

In Gaza City, only seven healthcare facilities are functioning, compared with 45 in earlier this year.

Many agencies have substantial resources of humanitarian goods stored near the territory awaiting entry. An international organization supporting the population across the territory for many years has three months' worth of sustenance for the entire population ready to be delivered.

"We maintain the supplies, the equipment and the skills ... we simply must have the access," said a relief official, who recently came back from Gaza.

Governmental Factors

A proposed plan details that "comprehensive" aid should enter Gaza and be allocated through international organizations and relief organizations, without disruption from any combatant organizations or state authorities.

This seems to prevent the debated Israel-backed relief agency which began operations in May, resulting in disorderly situations and multiple fatalities as crowds of aid-seekers congregated around its assistance centers.

Relief representatives in Gaza {told|informed