Israel says it will allow a limited amount of food into Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade on humanitarian aid to avoid a ‘hunger crisis’.
On Sunday, the announcement was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office shortly after the military’s declaration of a new ground operation in the enclave.
Netanyahu’s office stated, ‘Israel will permit a minimum quantity of food for the residents to prevent the emergence of a hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip.’
Israel imposed a complete blockade on humanitarian aid starting on March 2.
Netanyahu said allowing some aid in would enable Israel to expand its new military operation, which began Saturday.
It was not immediately clear when aid would enter Gaza, or how.
As per an Axios report, two senior Israeli officials mentioned on Sunday that the reinstatement of aid distribution will occur through current channels until a new system is put in place.
Netanyahu said Israel would work to ensure that Hamas will not control aid distribution and ensure the aid does not reach Hamas militants.
Displaced Palestinians receive hot meals distributed by aid organizations in Jabalia refugee camp of Jabalia, Gaza on May 5, 2025
Rahaf Iyyad, a 12-year-old Palestinian girl, suffers from malnutrition and undiagnosed diseases amid the Israeli blockade in the region in Gaza City, Gaza on May 2, 2025
Displaced Palestinians prepare bread in a makeshift oven in Gaza City, Monday, May 5, 2025
A boy walks carrying a jerrycan filled with water past the rubble of a destroyed building in Gaza City on April 21, 2025
Over the last year and a half, Israel’s deadly war on Gaza has killed over 53,000 Palestinians while leaving two million survivors forcibly displaced across the narrow strip amid severe food and aid shortages due to Israeli aid restrictions.
Israel has repeatedly claimed that there is ‘no hunger in Gaza,’ despite the overwhelming evidence of images of clearly malnourished Palestinians – including babies – coming out of the strip, as well as statements from the World Health Organization on the devastating impacts of Israel’s aid blockade.
A recent report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification found that Palestinians living in Gaza face ‘a critical risk of famine.’
Earlier on Sunday, Israel launched ‘extensive’ new ground operations in Gaza.
Airstrikes in its new offensive killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, overnight and into Sunday, hospitals and medics said.
The bombardment forced northern Gaza’s main hospital to close as it reported direct strikes.
Israel began the offensive – the largest since it shattered a ceasefire in March – with the aim of seizing territory and displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Israel is pressuring Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire that would free hostages from Gaza but not necessarily end the war. Hamas says it wants a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a path to ending the war as part of any deal.
‘When the Jews want a truce, Hamas refuses, and when Hamas wants a truce, the Jews refuse it. Both sides agree to exterminate the Palestinian people,’ said Jabaliya resident Abu Mohammad Yassin, who was among those fleeing the new offensive on foot or in donkey carts.
‘For God’s sake, have mercy on us. We are tired of displacement.’
Palestinians, try to maintain their daily life in makeshift tents amid the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli attacks, in Gaza City, Gaza on May 18, 2025
Palestinians continue to migrate to Khan Younis city
Earlier on Sunday, Israel launched ‘extensive’ new ground operations in Gaza
Israel’s military, which recently called up tens of thousands of reservists, said the ground operations are throughout the Palestinian territory’s north and south.
Israel’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said that plans include ‘dissecting’ the strip.
Before the announcement, airstrikes killed more than 48 people – including 18 children and 13 women – in and around the southern city of Khan Younis, according to Nasser Hospital, which said it struggled to count the dead because of the condition of bodies.
In northern Gaza, a strike on a home in Jabaliya killed nine members of a family, according to the Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency services.
Another strike on a residence there killed 10, including seven children and a woman, according to the civil defense, which operates under the Hamas-run government.
Israel’s military had no immediate comment. Its statement announcing the ground operations said preliminary strikes over the past week killed dozens of militants and struck more than 670 targets.
Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militant group operates from civilian areas.
Shortly afterward, Israel’s military said that it intercepted a projectile from central Gaza and another fell in an open area, with no injuries reported.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
