Israel to open Gaza humanitarian corridors as aid drops begin

Israel has said it is prepared to open humanitarian corridors to allow UN convoys into Gaza, following weeks of international pressure and a growing hunger crisis.

In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said had allowed air drops of humanitarian aid to resume, the first of which consisted of seven pallets of flour, sugar and canned food provided by international organisations.

The announcement came amid growing international pressure for Israel to let more aid into Gaza amid warnings of mass starvation following months of limited supply to the territory’s two million people.

Israel denied what it called “the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip”.

The IDF said it had “begun a series of actions aimed at improving the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, and was “prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas”.

It also stated that it had resumed supplying power to a desalination plant in Gaza, which it said would “serve about 900,000 residents”.

Reuters late on Saturday reported Palestinian sources as confirming air drops had resumed in northern Gaza.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March, and resumed with new restrictions in May.

Along with the US, it backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and allowed it to operate in Gaza.

There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses have told the BBC most have been shot by Israeli forces.

The UN, aid groups and some of Israel’s allies have blamed the country for a growing food crisis in Gaza, and called for the unrestricted entry and delivery of aid as the Hamas-run health ministry said dozens of people were dying from malnutrition. On Saturday it put the toll from the last few days at 125, including 85 children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the crisis as “man-made mass starvation”.

The IDF said in its statement that it gave responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza “lies with the UN and international aid organisations” and added the they must “ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas”.