ISRAEL has resumed air-dropping foreign aid into Gaza and said it will take other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the besieged strip.
The Israeli military said “humanitarian corridors” would be established for the safe movement of UN convoys delivering aid to distraught Gazans.
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Horror scenes of mass starvation have sparked an international outcry after Israel restricted supplies to the territory.
Aid groups warned this week that Palestinians are on the brink of famine, with one in five children suffering from malnutrition.
The UN warned that civilians in the besieged enclave are becoming “walking corpses”.
But Israel has denied responsibility, blaming Hamas for the suffering of Gaza’s population.
The Israeli military said in a statement that the airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organisations and would include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food.
Palestinian sources confirmed that aid has begun dropping in northern Gaza.
The IDF says aid drops would improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and disprove “the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip”.
It says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the UN of failing to distribute it.
“The IDF emphasises that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas,” the Israeli military said in its Saturday statement.
“Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organisations.
“Therefore, the UN and international organisations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas.”
The UN said that Israel hadn’t provided ample route alternatives for its convoys which have hindered aid access, adding that it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions.
An estimated 127 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, since the start of the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
On Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave.
The military also said Saturday that it had connected a power line to a desalination plant, expected to supply daily water needs for about 900,000 Gazans.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the military would “apply a ‘humanitarian pause’ in civilian centres and in humanitarian corridors” on Sunday morning.
The announcement came after indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas were broken off with no deal in sight.
The UN said that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would allow “the scale up of humanitarian assistance”.
The Israeli military stressed that despite the humanitarian steps, “combat operations have not ceased” in the Gaza Strip.
Israel is keeping up its heavy bombardment in the face of global ceasefire pleas and huge protests in Tel Aviv.
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Explosions from fresh overnight strikes rocked the besieged coastal strip, with Israeli Defence Forces troops continuing to advance on Hamas lairs.
The terrorists are still hiding out within civilian communities after the cornered Islamist group repeatedly rejected ceasefire terms.
Israel has vowed to continue on the war path until they have secured the release of all of the remaining hostages snatched on October 7.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also been adamant that Hamas must be wiped out in its entirety so it cannot attack ever again.
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron yesterday ramped up pressure on Israel to halt fighting as he announced France would soon recognise a Palestinian state.
Macron held emergency talks over the crisis with UK PM Sir Keir Starmer, who called conditions in the 25-mile enclave “unspeakable and indefensible”.
Macron announced the move on X as he wrote: “True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine.
“We must also guarantee the demilitarisation of Hamas, and secure and rebuild Gaza.
“Finally, we must build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the Middle East. There is no alternative.”
A formal announcement will be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York in five weeks time.
France will become the first G7 nation to view Palestine as its own state starting in September.
Donald Trump slammed Mr Macron’s announcement, saying it “doesn’t matter” as he left the US for a visit to Scotland.
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The US was quick to condemn Paris as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington “strongly rejects” the announcement.
Sir Keir has already declared that statehood is Palestinians’ “inalienable right” but has yet to officially declare recognition.
Yesterday, the PM confirmed that the UK is working with Jordan on plans to air-drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance.
In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed “it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace”.
“The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
However, the head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were “a distraction and screensmoke” that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could in some cases harm civilians.
At least 59,106 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the Gazan health ministry, which is said to be run by Hamas.
And almost two million Palestinians have reportedly been displaced from the region.
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