Maintaining the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is key to delivering life-saving aid in the Palestinian territory, the United Nations said, repeating a call for all crossings to be opened, AFP reports.

“Sustaining the ceasefire is vital; really it’s the only way we can save lives,” Abeer Etefa, Middle East spokeswoman for the UN’s World Food Programme, told a briefing in Geneva.

“We know it’s a fragile ceasefire; the most important thing is that it lasts.”

Etefa said that since the ceasefire came into force, 530 WFP trucks had crossed into Gaza, bringing in more than 6,700 tonnes of food, which she said was “enough for close to half a million people for two weeks”.

“Convoys are pushing through, food is getting to the warehouses and distributions are happening in an organised and dignified manner,” she said. Etefa added that WFP had not seen looting of its convoys since the ceasefire.