Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip for almost three months now, preventing entry of essential supplies since it closed border crossings on March 2nd, 2025. The United Nations has warned that because of this, "the entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine".
Partial deliveries, now solely handled by the Israel-backed US Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), only resumed last week.
However, the organisation came under heavy criticism for the inhumane distribution mode, causing riots in which the GHF's military contractors opened fire on the desperate crowds more than once.
As the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor chairman informed on X - "Netanyahu’s project to replace international aid groups in Gaza has left a bitter toll in just 3 days: 132 injured, 11 killed, 7 missing".
On Sunday, the GHF head, Jake Wood, decided to quit - saying it would not be able to fulfil the principles of "humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence".
Israeli authorities explain the blocking of aid as a desire to pressure Hamas to release 58 Israeli hostages, at least 20 of whom are still alive. However, as the Times of Israel media outlet reported this week, citing the country's senior official - it was Tel Aviv who rejected the latest proposed hostage-ceasefire deal.
The United Nations' Humanitarian Aid Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, told BBC on Friday that "Israel subjects the people of Gaza to forced starvation". As he added, such actions amount to a war crime under international law. On the same day, the UNOCHA spokesman declared Gaza "the hungriest place on the planet".
As Tom Fletcher stressed in his interview - the UN's goal is to save civilians, not support Hamas, and the organization has always been taking all precautions to ensure its aid reaches only those in need.
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Source: IAR, PAP, BBC, UN, Euro-Med Monitor, DropSiteNews, The Times of Israel