An official with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said she hopes the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will bring greater access to delivering much-needed supplies to people in Gaza.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a Gaza ceasefire deal following intensive mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani announced on Wednesday.
The Gaza ceasefire starts taking hold on Sunday, according to Qatar's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al Ansari.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Nichola Jones, communications coordinator for Middle East Crisis at IFRC, underscored that lasting peace and urgent humanitarian assistance is desperately needed in the war-torn enclave.
"It's very difficult to say what is the most pressing when in a situation like this, people have lost everything and are unable to access even the most basic of support. But what we do know is that people need food. There is massive food insecurity and a risk of famine in Gaza. People need shelter. They have nowhere to live and there is no safe place in Gaza. I think that's one of the most important things to underline, that until there is a ceasefire, until there is lasting peace, there is no safety in Gaza for families, for children, for anybody," she said.
"People really need to be able to access healthcare. We are waiting to be able to transport more medical supplies and medicines in. The reality in Gaza is that there is no electricity, there is no clean water, there is no power, there are no roads. This basic infrastructure has been damaged and eroded over the last fifteen months. So the challenge faced to the people is huge, and the challenge faced to us in order to be able to support them is also massive," Jones emphasized.
Throughout the conflict, Israel has consistently blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza at the rates it had previously. Jones said the organization is eager to see the freer flow of aid resume.
"We hope that with the advent of a ceasefire agreement, there will be greater access for us and so that transportation of goods will be able to happen from those border points in Egypt and in Jordan. But we don't know exactly what the next few hours or days or weeks will bring in terms of access. But what we hope is that it will improve for us and we've been calling for that as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent since the beginning, because if we can't access and we can't transfer much-needed supplies to the people, then we can't provide the lifesaving support that we are mandated to provide," Jones said.
IFRC official hopes for greater access for transporting much-needed aid to Gaza
Artificial intelligence and robotics, both major topics of discussion at the ongoing Boao Forum this year, are also being widely adopted at the event as ways to improve the service inside and outside the venue.
The BFA Annual Conference 2026 is being held in Boao, south China's Hainan Province. Running from March 24 to 27, this year's conference is themed "Shaping a Shared Future: New Dynamics, New Opportunities, New Cooperation."
A water generator at the venue cools and condenses moisture from the air into water, then filters and sterilizes it. It can also run on solar power for a completely off-grid, zero-carbon operation.
Meanwhile, a special robot barista operates a coffee stand where guests can order a drink with the press of a button, prompting the robotic arm to get to work -- grabbing a cup, brewing, and frothing -- all in one smooth motion.
The venue has also adopted an AI-based management system, which can automatically adjust a range of factors based on current conditions and detect and respond to anomalies when they occur.
These sorts of systems are already being adopted at a wider scale across Hainan.
"This is our operational management center for the zero-carbon demonstration zone. It’s powered by an AI-driven system that manages all energy consumption and carbon emissions. From here, we can remotely control over three thousand devices across the island with a click, including air conditioners and lighting. It's smart management, done remotely," said Zeng Youwen, chief general engineer of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design Hainan Branch.
Outside the venue, some smart equipment is also sharing the workload. On Boao's coastline, a beach-cleaning robot moves along the shore, sweeping up cigarette butts, debris, and coconut shells.
The robots can work before visitors arrive or after sunset, cleaning up to 3,000 square meters of beach per hour. In the water, a diving robot that clears debris and even has emergency rescue capabilities.
These on-site applications of emerging technologies have helped spur discussions at the forum on how the deep integration of technology and industry is gaining momentum as China enters the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
"Industries can only be upgraded by applying the new technologies, by applying AI, by applying other innovative technology, science and technology, there should all be injected into industries. And that's how the industries are going to produce high quality products. And you will have high quality productive forces that will change the lifestyle, the living standard of the Chinese people and the people living beyond," said Sohail Khan, deputy secretary-general of Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Founded in 2001, the BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.
Robots, AI facilitate guest services at Boao Forum venue
