Alleviating food insecurity of crisis affected households in Gaza ltpgtThis project will reduce the acute food insecurity of 4700 conflict-affected households   in Gaza, benefiting 26320 persons in need of food assistance.lt/pgtltpgt  ltbrgtBased on the lack of adequate market functionality, including shortages of essential foods, continued population movements, and lack of access to cooking fuel, ready to eat food parcels are prioritized as the most appropriate immediate response to meet urgent food needs under this project. In line with the sector guidance, the food basket includes numerous high-energy food sources, including fortified food items and canned foods to address the immediate nutritional needs of vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant and lactating women (PLW) and the elderly. To address the acute food insecurity of the most people possible, food assistance will be provided as a one-off distribution meant to meet the immediate needs of persons on the move or without any other access to food.lt/pgtltpgt  ltbrgtGiven the levels of acute food insecurity, and security constraints, food assistance will be delivered through targeted and/or blanket distributions. However, special attention will be paid to targeting of unaccompanied and/or separated children (UASC), and other highly vulnerable groups such as persons with a disability and the elderly, to ensure they not overlooked and have equitable access to assistance. The target geography for this project will be Rafah and/or middle area. The selection of specific sites for distribution will be informed by population flows, coordination with other actors to ensure coverage and avoid duplication of assistance, and security and access constraints. Distribution sites will prioritize people who have been recently displaced or re-displaced (recently arrived to the location). Sites may include UN designated shelters, including new shelters or informal settlements in communities if the security situation allows. Distribution sites will be selected in close coordination with the Cluster actors and other actors providing food security under this allocation.lt/pgtltpgt  ltbrgtSave the Children is able to procure goods in Egypt and transport them to Rafah via the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) with whom we have an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). We have an existing framework agreement with vendors in Egypt for ready to eat food baskets, and have launched a purchase request, which will enable us to rapidly identify a supplier and execute a purchase order to initiate the process of transporting goods to Gaza. In Gaza, SC will utilize the logistics cluster’s shared services for initial receipt and warehousing of supplies. SC will work with our long-time partner, Ma’an, who will distribute food assistance to targeted communities in Gaza.lt/pgtltpgt  ltbrgtMa’an will organize distributions in coordination with shelter administrators and community leaders, to ensure community sensitization regarding the selection of the distribution sites. Blanket distributions will be held given the high level of needs and a conflict-sensitive approach. If possible, some targeted distributions will be carried out as well, with specific emphasis on newly displaced households, UASC, and households in informal shelters and/or open areas. Ma’an has already mapped several hundred displaced households living in informal shelters/settlements which can be targeted if security allows. SC and Ma’an will work with shelter administrator and/or community leaders to ensure equitable access to assistance for girls, boys, women and men, and to ensure special attention is paid to the most vulnerable groups including UASC. SC and Ma’an staff will be trained on child safeguarding and safe identification and referral of child protection cases, including for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), as well as on key nutrition messages for pregnant and lactating women (PLW) and mothers of children under 5. ltbrgtlt/pgt