The Israeli army says that it “recently” helps humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, after weeks of international pressure and an increasing hunger crisis in Palestinian territory.
In a statement early on Sunday, Israeli Defense Forces (FDI) said that the Cachine-Aérien “included seven help packets containing flour, sugar and canned food”.
Israel said earlier that he was ready to open humanitarian corridors to allow UN convoys in Gaza.
This came in the middle of the calls to Israel to leave more aid to Gaza and in the midst of mass famine warnings after months of supply limited to the two million people in the territory. Israel denied what he called “the false affirmation of deliberate famine” in Gaza.
In its declaration, the FDI said that the airline “was carried out in coordination with international organizations and led by Cogat”, referring to the Israeli military organization which oversees the entrance to the aid to Gaza.
The army also published a video allegedly showing an aircraft abandoning aid. The images have not been verified independently.
Palestinian officials have not yet commented on the air card reported in Gaza.
Late Saturday, the FDI said that it had “started a series of actions aimed at improving the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip” and was “ready to implement humanitarian breaks in densely populated areas”.
He also declared that he had resumed the power of a desalination plant in Gaza, which, according to him, “would serve around 900,000 residents”.
Israel cut all the supplies in Gaza from the beginning of March and resumed with new restrictions in May.
In addition to the United States, he supported the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and allowed him to operate in Gaza.
There have been almost daily reports of the death of the Palestinians while asking for help since the start of GHF operations at the end of May. Witnesses told the BBC that most had been killed by Israeli forces. Israel said his troops draw warning shots and had challenged reported death tolls. He accuses Hamas of having prompted chaos near the help points.
The UN, aid groups and some of Israel’s allies have blamed the country for an increasing food crisis in Gaza and called for entry without restriction and the delivery of aid, such as the Ministry of Health managed by Hamas, said dozens of people were dying of malnutrition. On Saturday, it tolls the last days at 125, including 85 children.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the crisis as a “artificial mass starry”.
The FDIs said that the responsibility for the distribution of food to the Gaza population “lies in the UN and international aid organizations” and added that it must “ensure that aid does not reach Hamas”.
The apparent concessions of Israel followed its acceptance of a Jordanian plan and water, supported by the United Kingdom on Saturday, for the decrease in Air Help in Gaza. Aid agencies, however, said that such measures would not do much to mitigate the hunger of the Gazans.
The head of the Palestinian refugee agency of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said that the aerial drops were “expensive, ineffective and can even kill hungry civilians” if they have not gone as planned.
Lazzarini said his organization had “the equivalent of 6,000 trucks” in Jordan and Egypt while waiting to enter Gaza, and urged Israel “lift the seat, open the doors and guarantee safe movements and worthy access to people in need”.
The BBC spoke to several Gazans on Saturday which, worried, the aerial drops could cause “serious damages”.
A man living in the north of the strip told BBC Arabic’s Middle East Daily that the process was “dangerous” and “caused many tragedies” when similar rescue efforts were tempted last year.
“When the aid has fallen from the air, it risks landing directly on the tents, which could cause serious damage, including injuries or even death,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians fight against dehydration with famine. A mother told the BBC that she “lived without food or drink, no food, no bread, not even water”.
Israel launched a war in Gaza in response to the attack led by Hamas against southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 59,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Ministry of Health managed by Hamas.
