UN's World Food Programme calls on 'all donors' to feed Palestinians, rebuild Gaza

The United Nations World Food Programme urged the international community and "all donors" on Thursday to help feed millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and rebuild it.

The UN agency said it had provided more than 15,000 tonnes of food since a fragile 19 January ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, feeding more than 525,000 people, but that much more needed to be done.

"We call on the international community and all donors to continue supporting WFP's life-saving assistance at this pivotal moment," deputy executive director Carl Skau said.

"The scale of the needs is enormous and progress must be maintained. The ceasefire must hold," he said in a statement.

Skau said critical sectors are beyond food. "Water, sanitation, shelter, even getting children back into school - we need to work together," he said, adding that "this requires funding".