Gaza receives flour and baby food on Thursday after Israel opened the gate to limited truckloads across the border. This follows an 11-week siege that put a quarter of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents in danger of famine. Israel eased the all-out supply ban under mounting world pressure put in place in March.
As 100 aid trucks rolled in Wednesday with baby formula and medical supplies, Palestinian officials and relief groups report that the shipments are woefully inadequate to meet needs. In the meantime, Israeli bombardments raged on throughout Gaza, claiming dozens of lives.
Aid Trucks Arrive, Supplies Are Grossly Inadequate
Israel permitted the passage of 100 trucks on Wednesday. They contained basic supplies such as flour, baby food, and medical equipment. The limited delivery is the first easing of the blockade imposed in March. Israel says that Hamas was hijacking supplies for combatants—a claim Hamas refutes.
Palestinian NGOs claimed that just 90 trucks had actually entered by Thursday. Under the previous ceasefire, 600 trucks would enter daily. “The number now is a drop in the ocean,” stated Amjad al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network in Gaza.
UN-Backed Bakeries Start Distributing Bread
Some bakeries, supported by the UN World Food Programme, began to receive flour. They intend to bake bread for distribution by UN employees directly. This managed system substitutes previous attempts, when bakers retailed bread at subsidised prices. Shawa stated that the target is to provide “the most needy families, those who are desperate.”
Bombings Continue Even as Aid Begins to Flow
Despite the delivery of aid, Israeli attacks went on Thursday. At least 35 Palestinians were killed, reported Gaza health officials. A tank shell struck a warehouse of medicines at the Al-Awda Hospital in Beit Lahiya and it caught fire. Medics indicate that Israeli tanks are still blocking hospital doors outside.
Gaza’s Health System on the Brink of Collapse
Most of the hospitals are no longer operational. Strikes, raids, and the prohibition of medical equipment have destroyed Gaza’s healthcare system. Flames engulf destroyed warehouses, and patients and medics go without treatment or protection.
Ceasefire Talks and Political Standoff Intensify
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that he would accept a temporary ceasefire to facilitate hostage releases. Otherwise, he promised to press on with the military campaign to take over Gaza completely. Hamas turned it down. “There is no value to any agreement that doesn’t stop the massacres in Gaza permanently,” Hamas official Sami Ab Zuhri said.
Toll Rises as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Israel’s military retaliation followed Hamas’ October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 individuals and resulted in 251 abductions of hostages. More than 53,600 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to Gaza’s health officials.
The region is in ruins, and aid organizations say malnutrition is prevalent.
