UN aid reaches Gaza for first time in months amid famine risk

The famine crisis in Gaza may see slight relief, as the United Nations reported that its humanitarian organizations retrieved "about 90 truckloads of goods" in a nighttime operation in preparation for distribution.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said nearly 20 truckloads, carrying around 500 pallets of nutrition supplies – were safely offloaded at UNICEF's warehouse in Deir al-Balah. The delivery included ready-to-use therapeutic food and lipid-based nutritional supplements. These life-saving supplies are being unpacked and repackaged into smaller loads for delivery to dozens of distribution points.

A handful of bakeries in southern and central Gaza, supported by the World Food Programme, have resumed bread production, OCHA added. These bakeries are now operational and distributing bread through community kitchens. 

However, after nearly 80 days of a total blockade on humanitarian assistance, families still face a high risk of famine, and significantly more aid is needed across all of Gaza. OCHA emphasized that the shipment is limited in quantity and far from sufficient to meet the scale and scope of needs for Gaza's 2.1 million people. Basic items such as fresh food, hygiene products, water purification agents, and fuel to power hospitals have not been allowed in for over 80 days.

The office also said that Israeli authorities must facilitate the movement of humanitarian convoys, including from southern to northern Gaza, to ensure that all supplies reach people in need throughout the Gaza Strip.

Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said it is important for commercial trucking to resume to supply markets with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Dujarric said the latest analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification committee concluded that people across Gaza are at risk of famine, with nearly 500,000 people teetering on the edge of starvation.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that Gaza's health system is at a breaking point: only 19 of its 36 hospitals remain operational, at least 94 percent have been damaged or destroyed, and only 12 are currently capable of offering a range of health services.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Thursday that the construction of a "distribution zone" would be completed in the coming days with U.S. companies distributing food in areas controlled by the Israeli military.

"Ultimately, we intend to have large safe zones in the south of Gaza. The Palestinian population will move there for their own safety, while we conduct combat in other zones, and receive humanitarian aid there without Hamas interference," Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office.

Israel imposed the blockade on all supplies in March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters – a charge the group denies.

Israel has stepped up its military operation in Gaza since early May, saying it is seeking to eliminate Hamas' military and governing capabilities and bring back remaining hostages seized in October 2023.

On Thursday, Israeli military strikes killed at least 50 Palestinians across Gaza, health authorities in the enclave said.

While European countries condemned the resumption of Israeli strikes, former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed support for Netanyahu's current objectives in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, according to a statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

"President Trump expressed support for the objectives set by Prime Minister Netanyahu: to secure the release of all our hostages, to eliminate Hamas, and to advance the Trump Plan," said the PMO.

(With input from agencies)