The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will allow foreign countries to drop aid into the Gaza Strip, according to a report Friday on Israel Army Radio, citing an army source.
The military will allow the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to resume air-dropping aid packages, as they did in 2024, according to the Jerusalem Post.
On Wednesday, more than 100 aid groups warned that Gaza is on the brink of starvation, and UNWRA said that one in five children is malnourished. The U.N. announced on Tuesday that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while waiting in food lines.
Israel, however, maintains that Hamas is putting a spotlight on hunger in Gaza amid ceasefire negotiations.
The IDF posted on X on Friday, “We operate every day to bring in aid, Hamas operates every day to create a perception of crisis. The international community needs to know the truth!” – COL Abdullah Halabi, Head of the CLA Gaza, on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.”
According to the Jerusalem Post, the IDF has recognized that there is food insecurity in Gaza but not starvation.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott at a briefing Thursday mirrored Israel’s stance that Hamas is preventing aid from entering Gaza and said during a press briefing, “The only group weaponizing aid is Hamas.”
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, an agency under the Israeli Ministry of Defense, also posted on X, “Contrary to popular narratives, there is NO LIMIT on the number of humanitarian aid trucks that can enter Gaza. The real bottleneck lies with the UN and international organizations, whose collection of aid from the crossings dropped sharply over the past month.”
The IDF and the State Department have not immediately responded to requests for comment.
The World Central Kitchen resumed its operation at Deir al-Balah Field Kitchen in Gaza after it had to pause for five days due to a lack of ingredients. It was the second time they have had to pause since the beginning of the war, according to a press release.
“Our ability to continue cooking remains uncertain day-to-day,” the group wrote.
On Thursday, the U.S. said it was leaving from ceasefire talks between Gaza and Israel and said they are exploring other options to find a peaceful solution.
“We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza,” Witkoff wrote in a post on the social media site X.
Also Thursday, France announced that it will recognize Palestinian statehood in September, marking the first of the G7 countries to do this.
