United Nations, March 15: UN humanitarians said that 63,000 metric tonnes of food await an end to the Gaza aid blockade, enough for 1.1 million people for two to three months.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the 12-day aid blockage hinders relief operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

“This means, for example, that the World Food Programme (WFP) has not been able to transport any food supplies into Gaza due to the closure of all border crossing points for both humanitarian and commercial supplies,” OCHA said. “WFP has about 63,000 metric tonnes of food destined for Gaza, stored or in transit in the region.”

WFP said it has enough stocks to support active bakeries and community kitchens for up to one month and can also provide ready-to-eat food parcels for more than 500,000 people for two weeks. However, before the ceasefire, WFP reduced the quantity of ready-to-eat food parcels so that families could stretch their supplies and serve more people.

It isn’t just a shortage of food. A lack of fuel affects vehicle movements across Gaza and slows first responders.

OCHA said oxygen supplies and electricity generators are also critically needed to maintain life-saving operations at hospitals in Gaza. At least two dozen additional generators are in short supply for health centres, as the ones in use need maintenance and spare parts.

In the West Bank, the humanitarian office warned that settler violence is escalating in certain areas across the region, causing casualties, property damage and placing communities at high risk of displacement.

Over the past two years, OCHA has documented the displacement of more than 2,000 Palestinians across the West Bank due to heightened settler violence and access restrictions.

In the northern West Bank, the Israeli military operation entered its eighth week.

The office said people continue to be displaced, and last week Israeli forces raided at least 10 mosques across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

“Since Monday, operations in Jenin city have intensified, with more than 500 people displaced from three neighbourhoods in the eastern part of the city, according to the municipality,” OCHA said. “The UN and its partners warn that food insecurity is rising, as operations by Israeli forces, displacement, and movement restrictions limit access to food.”

Also, OCHA said there was a sharp increase in the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank over the past week and a half. The number of structures demolished during the first 10 days of Ramadan this year exceeds the total for all of Ramadan in 2024.

Moscow, March 14: President Vladimir Putin supported the US ceasefire proposal ‘in principle’ but also sought some clarifications and put some conditions. This has raised questions on the hopes of an early end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

In February 2022, the Russian army launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia called its 2022 invasion a ‘special military operation’ designed to “liberate Ukraine from Nazism” and prevent NATO expansion.

On Washington’s ceasefire agreement, Putin said that many important issues need to be resolved and any agreement should address the root causes of the conflict.

Putin told media in the Kremlin, “We agree with the proposals to end hostilities. The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it.”

The Russian President said, “But we believe that the pause should be such that it leads to long-term peace and eliminates the root causes of this crisis.”

Putin said that many issues need to be clarified. He thanked Trump for ending the war.

On Tuesday, after more than eight hours of talks with Ukrainian and US officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Kiev announced its acceptance of the ceasefire proposal.

Meanwhile, Russia on Thursday claimed that its army has retaken control of Sudja, the largest city occupied by Ukraine in the Kursk region. Moscow’s claim is a big blow to Ukraine, which wanted to use this city as a ‘bargaining chip’ in ceasefire talks.

According to the report of Russian state news agency TASS, the announcement came after US special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday.

In August last year, thousands of Ukrainian troops occupied about 1,300 square (500 square miles) kilometers of Russia’s Kursk region. Kiev said this was an attempt to gain leverage in future talks and force Russia to withdraw from eastern Ukraine. However, in recent days the Russian army has achieved significant success in this area.

According to the Russian army, due to the rapid advance in the last few days, Ukraine has less than 200 square km (77 square miles) of area left in Kursk.

Moscow, March 14: Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to several world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, for their continued attention to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Putin acknowledged the efforts of these leaders and others for their commitment to seeking peace in the war-torn region, despite the many global challenges they face.

“I would like to start by offering my sincere thanks to President Trump of the US for his focus on the Ukraine situation. Many state leaders, including President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Modi of India, and the Presidents of Brazil and South Africa, have been dedicating significant time to this issue. We appreciate their contributions, as it is all for the noble cause of stopping the conflict and preventing further loss of life,” Putin stated.

Prime Minister Modi has been stressing and reiterating about bringing peace in the region thereby clearly setting India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. During his recent meeting with Trump at the White House, PM Modi made it clear that India was not neutral in the matter, emphasising that India sides with peace.

“This is not an era of war but of dialogue and diplomacy,” PM Modi had said, underscoring India’s commitment to diplomatic efforts. PM Modi has also maintained open channels of communication with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, repeatedly stressing the need for peaceful resolution.

The US has proposed a 30-day ceasefire, urging Russia to accept the deal without any conditions.

Putin, while expressing support for a ceasefire, acknowledged there are “nuances” that need to be addressed, adding that he had “serious questions” about how the proposal would be implemented.

In response, US President Donald Trump referred to Putin’s comments as “promising”, but also noted that the statement was “not complete”, suggesting that further discussions were necessary.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has agreed to the ceasefire proposal during talks held in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, following mounting pressure after a meeting between Trump and Zelensky in February.

The war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has caused immense devastation, with hundreds of thousands dead or injured and millions displaced. The conflict has led to severe economic and geopolitical tensions between Russia and the West, with the ceasefire discussions now offering a glimmer of hope for a resolution.