First aid trucks enter Gaza after nearly three-month blockade

After nearly three months of Israeli blockade, humanitarian aid has begun to enter the Gaza Strip once again, the United Nations has confirmed.

On May 19, five trucks carrying food supplies, including baby formula, entered the enclave through the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry unit responsible for coordinating deliveries to Gaza, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Dozens more trucks are on the way and expected to arrive in the coming days, the agency said.

The UN expressed "joy" over the resumed aid. However, UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher described the shipments as "a drop in the ocean," emphasising that the two million Palestinians in Gaza are in dire need of significantly more assistance.

Hunger and bombardments

Earlier on May 19, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet authorised, for the first time since March 2, the delivery of a “basic volume of humanitarian aid” into Gaza. The move came with the acknowledgement that Israel's international allies would be unable to continue supporting the country if its military offensive was accompanied by “images of starvation.”

The Israeli military recently launched a large new ground operation in Gaza, supported by airstrikes. Authorities have issued an evacuation order for Khan Younis, the second-largest city in the territory.

Overnight strikes on the refugee camps of Jabalia and Nuseirat, as well as the town of Deir al-Balah, left 44 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Experts have repeatedly warned that unless the blockade is lifted soon, the population faces the risk of widespread famine.

Israel says it has intensified its offensive in Gaza in an effort to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages captured during the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.

Hamas has stated it will release the hostages only in exchange for a long-term ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's plans and international reactions

Netanyahu has announced that Israel intends to "take full control of Gaza" and establish a new system for aid distribution that bypasses Hamas. He also said Israel will facilitate the voluntary emigration of a large portion of Gaza’s population to other countries.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has continued to fully support Israel and has laid the blame for Palestinian deaths squarely on Hamas. Nonetheless, recent days have seen growing concern from the White House over the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Trump himself, who did not visit Israel during his recent Middle East tour, voiced concern about the situation in Gaza last week. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a visit to Türkiye, remarked that the developments in the Strip are “alarming.”

In a video address posted to social media, Netanyahu said that “Israel’s greatest friends in the world” had told him: “We cannot accept images of hunger, mass starvation. We cannot bear it. We will not be able to support you.”

He added that the “red line” was approaching, though he did not specify whether he was referring to the humanitarian crisis or a potential loss of international backing.

“No more raids, in-and-outs—only conquest, clearance, and remaining in place until Hamas is destroyed,” Netanyahu declared.

By Tamilla Hasanova