Nearly a third of Gaza’s population is enduring days without food, according to a stark warning from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which also reports that over 90,000 women and children urgently need treatment for malnutrition.
The crisis has escalated with the Hamas-run health ministry confirming nine more deaths from malnutrition on Friday, raising the total since the war began to 122. Despite this, Israel maintains there are no restrictions on aid entry and places the blame on Hamas for distribution failures.
The UK has signaled a potential shift, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer indicating Britain may support airdrops of aid into Gaza. However, aid agencies warn that airdrops are inefficient and risk delaying more effective ground-based solutions. Starmer also stated the UK is accelerating efforts to evacuate critically ill children for treatment.
Meanwhile, countries including Germany, France, and the UK have issued a joint plea for Israel to immediately lift restrictions on humanitarian aid, calling the ongoing crisis a “catastrophe” and urging compliance with international humanitarian law.
UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the global community’s inaction, highlighting the deaths of over 1,000 Palestinians attempting to access food since late May.
Adding to the controversy, a former US security contractor alleged witnessing war crimes by Israeli forces and US personnel at aid sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) rejected the claims, calling them “categorically false” and attributing them to a disgruntled former employee.
