Aid route closure worsens shortages in famine-struck northern Gaza

Since Israel shut a vital corridor into famine-stricken northern Gaza before escalating its ground offensive this month, community kitchens and health clinics have closed and vital flows of food have slowed, residents and UN agencies say. The Zikim Crossing was shut on Sept 12, days ahead of an Israeli ground offensive on Gaza City in the north of the territory, prompting warnings from aid agencies. Since then, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) told Reuters it had not managed to bring any supplies through Zikim, previously the route for half its food deliveries into Gaza. The number of daily meals served as aid in northern Gaza had dropped to 59,000 as of Sept 22 from 155,000 as of Aug 30,...