Israel has announced new humanitarian measures to allow aid into Gaza, following increasing global condemnation and alarm over soaring malnutrition and starvation-related deaths.
The move includes daily “tactical pauses” from 10:00 to 20:00 local time and the opening of aid corridors, which the Israeli military says are meant to “refute the false claim of intentional starvation.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from an Israeli air base, said the country would continue its military campaign but would also allow the entry of “minimal” humanitarian supplies. “There are secure routes. There have always been, but today it’s official,” he stated.
“There will be no more excuses. We will continue to fight until complete victory.”
Netanyahu criticised the United Nations for blaming Israel, saying aid delays were not Israel’s fault. Meanwhile, the IDF announced the creation of designated aid corridors and claimed efforts were underway to distribute supplies safely, despite growing reports of civilian casualties at distribution points.
More than 133 people have died from malnutrition since the war began, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Aid agencies, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), say current efforts are still far from adequate. “After five months of starvation, people need to be sure that they are going to be receiving something at the end,” said Amande Bazerolle, MSF’s emergency operations director.
Bazerolle welcomed the IDF’s pause in fighting but emphasized the urgent need for organised distribution. “With enough supply of therapeutic food, we’re going to be able to treat more people,” she said, warning of “life-long consequences” for those affected by malnutrition.
The international response has been swift and critical.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the military pause “essential,” but said it wouldn’t alone “alleviate the suffering. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Netanyahu to agree to an immediate ceasefire. Pope Leo XIV decried the “extremely grave humanitarian situation,” saying people were “crushed by hunger. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of “genocide” and demanded unrestricted aid access, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described the crisis as an “induced famine,” adding, “Spain is ready to send everything necessary to Gaza.”
While Jordan has launched air drops and sent 60 trucks of aid, and Egypt continues deliveries by land, agencies warn air drops are largely symbolic. “A grotesque distraction,” one group called it, noting that 160 air drops would be needed just to feed each person in Gaza once.
The World Health Organisation has warned of “mass starvation,” and the World Food Programme says one in three Gazans is going days without eating. Israel blames Hamas for manipulating aid access and engineering shortages, while the UN counters that Israel routinely blocks or delays aid truck movements at crossing points.
As aid trickles in, much of it still sits stalled at Gaza’s border, with UN agencies saying they need formal approval from Israel to safely distribute food. Until then, the humanitarian catastrophe is expected to worsen.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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