Israel denies any policy to deprive Gazans of food and blames the UN and other groups on the ground for failing to effectively distribute the aid that\u2019s entered the Strip; still, Jerusalem acknowledges that many Gazan civilians face hunger, some twenty-two months into Israel\u2019s ongoing war to defeat the Hamas terror group and free the hostages it took captive on October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n
Since the May resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza after a two-month Israeli blockade, a total of 2,604 aid trucks have been collected by the UN. Of those, 2,309 \u2014 88% \u2014 did not reach their intended destinations inside the Strip, according to the United Nations Office for Project Services.<\/p>\n
According to the organization, this was due to the trucks being \u201cintercepted either peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors during transit in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n According to UNOPS, in June, 1,155 trucks were collected by the UN and its partner organizations after crossing into Gaza, and 1,048 of them \u2014 90.7% \u2014 were intercepted before reaching their destinations. In July, the figure rose to 94%, with 1,161 trucks collected and 1,093 intercepted.<\/p>\n \t A Palestinian man carries canned food as others transport bags of flour that they obtained from aid trucks which entered Gaza through the Zikim crossing point, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on August 1, 2025. (Bashar TALEB \/ AFP)<\/p>\n Olga Cherevko from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs clarified to The Times of Israel that the vast majority of looting is being carried out by hungry Gazans, not by armed gangs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe long-standing restrictions on the entry of aid have created an unpredictable environment where there is a lack of confidence by the communities that aid will reach them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has resulted in many of our convoys offloaded directly by starving, desperate people as they continue to face deep levels of hunger and are struggling to feed their families,\u201d the UN staffer continued.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we have said before, the only way to reach a level of confidence is by having a sustained flow of aid over a period of time. This was clearly evident during the weeks of the last ceasefire when such incidents did not occur,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Israel says that Hamas steals supplies from deliveries by the UN and international aid groups. The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), established to provide aid via an alternative that would keep goods out of Hamas\u2019s hands, has been plagued by near-daily shooting incidents that have seen hundreds killed as they try to reach the GHF distribution centers.<\/p>\n \t Displaced Palestinians carry food parcels and supplies from a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution point along the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip, August 4, 2025. (Ali Hassan\/Flash90)<\/p>\n Israel, in response to a rising international uproar over the humanitarian situation in the Strip, announced last week steps to let more aid reach Gaza, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, approving air drops by foreign nations, and announcing protected routes for aid convoys.<\/p>\n Israel also announced Tuesday it will gradually permit the entry of goods into Gaza through the private sector for the first time in almost a year, adding another channel for supplies to arrive alongside the aid organizations already operating.<\/p>\n Gaza\u2019s Hamas-run health ministry said Monday evening that five people died of starvation or malnutrition over the previous 24 hours. The new deaths raised the alleged toll of those dying from hunger to 180, including 93 children, since the war began. Hamas figures cannot be verified, and the group does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.<\/p>\n The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, of whom 50 \u2014 20 of whom are believed to be alive \u2014 are still held in the Strip.<\/p>\n
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