The UN sent about 90 aid trucks into Gaza on Wednesday — the first delivery since early March. The move comes as global pressure mounts on Israel to ease its blockade and halt the continuous attacks.
The first aid delivery came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was open to a ‘temporary ceasefire’. However, he also said the military would continue its efforts to take full control of Gaza.
Three days after Israel announced that it would allow limited aid to Gaza, the United Nations had "collected around 90 truckloads of goods from the Kerem Shalom crossing and dispatched them into Gaza", said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres.
This development came hours after Israeli troops fired near a group of foreign diplomats visiting the occupied West Bank, which drew strong criticism from around the world.
In Gaza, the Hamas government media office reported that 87 aid trucks had arrived. The aid was given to international and local groups to help meet 'urgent humanitarian needs'.
Netanyahu said it was necessary to "avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action" in Gaza.
Due to Israel's blockade, Palestinians have been struggling for basic supplies after weeks of near-total isolation resulting in shortage of food and medicine supplies.
Meanwhile, Israel had continued with the bombardment of Gaza. On Wednesday, the Gaza's health ministry reported that the bodies of 82 people were taken to hospitals across the territory over the previous 24 hours.
Plight of the Civilians:
Umm Talal al-Masri, 53, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza City, described the situation as "unbearable".
"No one is distributing anything to us. Everyone is waiting for aid, but we haven't received anything," she told AFP.
"We barely manage to prepare one meal a day."
Humanitarian groups pointed out that the amount of aid entering Gaza falls far short of what is required to ease the crisis.
A US-backed group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it will begin sending aid into Gaza in the coming days. However, the UN and other traditional agencies said they won’t cooperate with the foundation as it is accused of working with Israel.
The foundation said it plans to distribute around 300 million meals in its first 90 days.
Mounting pressure on Israel:
Israel is facing immense pressure, including from traditional allies, to halt its expanded offensive military operations and allow aid into Gaza.
On Tuesday, European Union foreign ministers agreed to review the EU’s trade and cooperation deal with Israel. Israel’s foreign ministry said that the EU action "reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing". Sweden wants the EU to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers, while Britain suspended free-trade talks with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador.
Pope Leo XIV called the situation in Gaza “worrying and painful” and urged for "the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid".
Germany asserted the EU-Israel cooperation deal as "an important forum that we must use in order to discuss critical questions" over the situation in Gaza.
Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on 18 March, ending a two-month ceasefire. Prime Minister Netanyahu said he is open to a temporary ceasefire if it helps free hostages. He said at least 20 hostages held by Hamas and its allies are still believed to be alive.
After Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on 18 March, Gaza’s health ministry reported over 3,509 deaths, taking the war's overall death toll to 53,655, including mostly civilians.
In neighbouring Lebanon, authorities stated that Israeli strikes killed three people on Wednesday. Israel said the attacks targeted Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, despite an ongoing ceasefire with the group.