Hundreds of Palestinians seized trucks carrying flour as they entered in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday. Israel said it would allow aid to the area again. Photo by Mohammed Al-Amour/UPI | License Photo
Israel will allow the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to resume dropping aid to Gaza, as they did in 2024.
On Wednesday, more than 100 aid groups warned that the area is on the brink of starvation. The United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees said one in five children is malnourished. The U.N. said Tuesday that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel while waiting in line for food.
Israel says Hamas is highlighting hunger in Gaza amid cease-fire negotiations.
The Israeli military posted Friday on X, “We operate every day to bring in aid, Hamas operates every day to create a perception of crisis. The international community needs to know the truth!” — Col Abdullah Halabi, Head of the CLA Gaza, on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.”
The military has acknowledged food insecurity in Gaza but not starvation, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy will hold an emergency call Friday to talk about conditions in Gaza, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday.
“The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible,” Starmer said. “While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.
“We will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace. We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay,” he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France backs a two-state solution.
“It is essential to build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and enable it, by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, to contribute to the security of all in the Middle East,” Macron said.
“There must be an immediate cease-fire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. It is also necessary to ensure the demilitarization of Hamas, secure and rebuild Gaza,” Macron continued.
Starmer agreed.
“We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A cease-fire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis,” Starmer said.
Israel condemned France’s position.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Thursday that the issue belongs to Hamas.
“This humanitarian conflict lies at the feet of Hamas, who could end this conflict today by releasing the hostages and laying down their arms.”
In an online briefing Wednesday, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said “there is no famine.” He blamed Hamas and said the food crisis in Gaza is “a man-made shortage engineered by Hamas.”
World Central Kitchen resumed its operation at Deir al-Balah Field Kitchen in Gaza. It had to stop for five days because of a lack of ingredients. It was the second time it had to pause since the beginning of the war, according to a press release.
“Our ability to continue cooking remains uncertain day-to-day,” the group wrote.
Cease-fire talks in Doha, Qatar, ended Thursday without agreement.
