Israel has permitted five UN lorries carrying food and humanitarian aid, including baby formula, to enter the Gaza Strip for the first time in 11 weeks, following mounting international pressure and warnings of imminent famine among the territory’s 2.1 million residents.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the temporary measure in a video address, attributing the decision to diplomatic concerns and direct appeals from US senators. “We must not reach a situation of famine, both from a practical and a diplomatic standpoint,” Netanyahu said, adding that the minimal food entry was aimed at preventing starvation while a new Israeli-US aid distribution plan is implemented.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher welcomed the move but described it as “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed,” stressing the scale of deprivation across Gaza, where shortages of food, fuel and medicine are now critical. He warned that significantly more aid must be allowed in “starting tomorrow morning”.
Netanyahu said Israel would only allow food deliveries until military-controlled aid hubs, under a US-backed plan, are established. This distribution network—led by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and guarded by Israeli forces and private contractors—has been rejected by the UN and global aid agencies, who argue it undermines humanitarian neutrality and risks further displacing vulnerable populations.
The announcement followed a stark warning from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which reported that over half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of starvation. The Hamas-run health ministry recently said 57 children had died from malnutrition over the past 11 weeks.
Israel had halted all aid and commercial deliveries on 2 March, resuming military operations two weeks later in a renewed offensive aimed at forcing Hamas to release the 58 remaining hostages. Since then, more than 3,000 people have reportedly been killed and 400,000 displaced.
Despite Israel’s claims that Hamas loots the aid, the group has denied the allegations. Aid agencies insist they have thousands of truckloads of supplies waiting to enter Gaza and a “clear, principled and practical” delivery plan, which Israel has blocked.
The new aid corridor has also sparked political backlash inside Israel. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the resumption of aid a “grave mistake” that “fuels Hamas,” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defended the military offensive, reiterating his controversial proposal to permanently displace Palestinians to “third countries”.
Meanwhile, criticism from international allies intensified. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney jointly condemned the aid allowance as “wholly inadequate” and warned of “further concrete actions” unless Israel ceases its renewed offensive and fully lifts restrictions on aid.
On the ground, Israel’s military continued intense airstrikes across the Strip, with at least 40 deaths reported on Monday alone, including five at a school shelter in Nuseirat. The IDF claimed it was targeting a Hamas command centre. It also ordered the evacuation of Khan Younis ahead of what it described as an “unprecedented attack.”
Netanyahu declared Israeli troops would “take control of all areas of the Strip,” citing the defeat of Hamas and the recovery of hostages as the offensive’s main objectives. Talks mediated in Qatar remain deadlocked, with no breakthrough on a potential ceasefire or hostage deal.
Since the war began with Hamas’s 7 October 2023 cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken, Gaza’s health ministry reports at least 53,475 deaths, including over 3,000 since the end of the last ceasefire.
Chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, rejected Israel’s claim that the new aid plan could be operational within days. “This is not true. Will take weeks,” he posted on X. “This plan will leave Palestinians hungry.”
With nightfall halting operations, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said aid remained uncollected due to safety concerns. Aid agencies reiterated their refusal to participate in any delivery method that contradicts humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality.
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