After the worsening of starvation and the recording of deaths: Israel drops aid from the air to Gaza

SadaNews - Israel dropped aid from the air to the Gaza Strip late Saturday – Sunday, which is suffering from worsening starvation and a deterioration of humanitarian conditions due to the ongoing siege and closed crossings, with no assistance being allowed into the region amid the ongoing genocide since October 7, 2023. This decision came based on instructions from the political leadership and following a situation assessment on Friday evening, according to what the Israeli army announced in a statement. In this context, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced on Saturday evening that five new deaths had been recorded due to starvation and malnutrition in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of starvation and malnutrition deaths to 127, including 85 children. The Israeli army stated in its announcement that it would drop humanitarian aid from the air tonight, to be transported into the Gaza Strip in cooperation with international organizations. It was mentioned that the aid includes "seven shipments of supplies containing flour, sugar, and canned food, which will be provided by international organizations, and it has been decided to establish humanitarian corridors that allow UN and international organizations' convoys safe movement to enter food and medicines." The Israeli army claimed that it is preparing for temporary suspensions of military operations for humanitarian purposes in densely populated areas, emphasizing that it "will continue its operations in the areas where it operates to cleanse them and deepen operations to neutralize elements and infrastructure." The Israeli army also claimed that "over the past week, more than 250 truckloads of aid have been unloaded, which joined the cargo of hundreds of trucks waiting to distribute their loads by the UN and international organizations. Approximately 600 trucks' loads have been distributed by the UN and international relief organizations." It added that "under the direction of the political level and in cooperation with the Israeli Electric Company, it has connected the ‘Kila’ line to feed the southern water desalination plant, which is supposed to provide about 20,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day, instead of the two thousand cubic meters that have been available until now for approximately 900,000 people in the area." The Israeli army also claimed that "there is no starvation in Gaza, and the discourse about a false and fabricated campaign is being turned behind by Hamas. The responsibility for distributing food to the residents of the Strip lies with the UN and international relief organizations. The UN and international organizations are also expected to effectively improve the distribution of aid and ensure it does not reach Hamas." It concluded its statement by saying, "There will be no ceasefire, and we will continue fighting in the Gaza Strip to bring back all hostages and defeat Hamas both above and below ground."