Rebuilding Gaza to take 'an awful lot of time,' the UN says

The rebuilding process in Gaza will "take an awful lot of time" despite the promised surge in humanitarian deliveries, a UN official in Gaza told the BBC.

"We're not just talking about food, healthcare, buildings, roads, infrastructure. We've got individuals, families, communities that need to be rebuilt," Sam Rose, acting director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) in Gaza.

After a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas took effect on Sunday, at least 1,545 aid lorries have crossed into Gaza, the UN said.

"We're no longer moving through an active conflict zone. We no longer need to have to co-ordinate all these movements with the Israeli authorities," he added.

"And we've not today... faced any major problems with looting and criminality."

But the UN worker also stressed that "we have to get away from thinking of people's needs in Gaza as a function of the volume of aid."