Aid groups seize on truce to tackle hunger in Gaza

International agencies were preparing on Saturday to pour aid into Gaza, hopeful a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will allow them to put an end to the famine haunting parts of the territory.

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But optimism was marked with caution. The fragile truce could open access, but aid agencies fear Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump's plan.

Logistical hurdles are far from the mind of displaced father Marwan Al Madhun. The 34-year-old just wants to know when the trucks will arrive. "My children are mainly happy to know that meat and chicken will arrive at last," he told AFP in central Gaza, as tens of thousands of Palestinians started to walk back to homes destroyed during fighting in the north. "It's been two years that they've been deprived," he said. "At last, the crossing points will open!"

On Aug.29, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, after experts warned 500,000 people faced a "catastrophic" threat.

Now, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs says Israel has approved delivery of 170,000 tonnes of aid under a response plan for the first 60 days of truce.