Aid trucks enter Gaza after delays, as pressure mounts on Israel

Israel allowed 98 aid trucks carrying flour, baby food and medical equipment into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Israeli military said, as UN officials reported that distribution issues had meant that no aid had so far reached people in need.

After an 11-week blockade on supplies entering Gaza, the Israeli military said the aid trucks entered on Monday and Tuesday. But even those minimal supplies have not made it to Gaza's soup kitchens, bakeries, markets and hospitals, according to aid officials and local bakeries that were standing by to receive supplies of flour.

"None of this aid – that is a very limited number of trucks – has reached the Gaza population," said Antoine Renard, country director of the World Food Program.

The blockade has left Gazans in an increasingly desperate struggle for survival, despite growing international and domestic pressure on Israel's government.

Thousands of tonnes of food and other vital supplies are waiting near crossing points into Gaza but until it can be safely distributed, around a quarter of the population remains at risk of famine, Renard said.

As people waited for supplies to arrive, the Gaza-based health authorities said on Wednesday that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the first five days of the latest operation, adding that the total Palestinian death toll since October 2023 has reached 53,655.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would be open to a temporary ceasefire to enable the return of hostages. But otherwise he said it would press ahead with a military campaign to gain total control of Gaza.

Netanyahu said on Wednesday that all areas of the Gaza Strip will be under Israeli security control and Hamas will be defeated by the end of the ongoing "Operation Gideon's Chariots."

Netanyahu described the operation, which he said began on Saturday, as the "final phase" of Israel's military campaign. 

Efforts to halt the fighting have faltered, with both Hamas, which insists on a final end to the conflict and withdrawal of Israeli forces, and Israel, which says Hamas must disarm and leave Gaza, sticking to positions the other side rejects.

The resumption of the assault on Gaza since March, following a two-month ceasefire, has drawn condemnation from countries including Britain and Canada that have long been cautious about expressing open criticism of Israel. 

Britain, France and Canada said on Monday that "if Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid," they will take further concrete actions.

In a joint statement, the three countries said that these actions could include targeted sanctions.

European countries have issued sharp condemnations after Israeli forces allegedly fired on Wednesday near a group of foreign diplomats visiting Jenin, in the West Bank.

Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome on Wednesday over the "dramatic" situation in Gaza and the Jenin incident, according to Italy's ANSA news agency. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called it "unacceptable" for diplomats to be threatened.

Seventeen of the European Union's 27 foreign ministers on Tuesday backed a Dutch proposal to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Meanwhile, there has been growing unease within Israel at the continuation of the conflict while 58 hostages remain in Gaza.

Left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan drew a furious response from the government and its supporters this week when he declared that "a sane country doesn't kill babies as a hobby" and said Israel risked becoming a "pariah state among the nations."

Golan's words and similar comments by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an interview with the BBC, underscored the rift within Israel. Netanyahu dismissed the criticism, saying he was "appalled" by Golan's comments.

Opinion polls show widespread support for a ceasefire that would include the return of all the hostages, with a survey from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem this week showing 70 percent in favor of a deal.

(With input from agencies)