The white UN trucks crawled through Kerem Shalom crossing yesterday—just 10 of them, carrying what officials described as “a basic quantity of food.” After months of near-total aid restriction that has left Gaza’s 2.3 million residents facing catastrophic hunger, Israel’s war cabinet finally approved limited humanitarian deliveries to northern Gaza, where starvation has become a weapon more lethal than bombs.
“We’re seeing children with sunken eyes and protruding ribs,” said Dr. Mahmoud Shalabi, Medical Aid for Palestinians coordinator, speaking to me via a patchy connection from Gaza City. “The hospitals are receiving cases of severe malnutrition daily, but have nothing to offer these patients except rehydration solutions when available.”
The decision to allow this trickle of aid comes after intense international pressure and warnings from the UN World Food Programme that over 500,000 Palestinians face “catastrophic food insecurity”—the highest level on their five-point scale before famine. Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the move was partially motivated by the International Court of Justice’s recent order for Israel to improve humanitarian conditions.
Yet the reality on the ground suggests this gesture may be too little, too late. The Israeli military maintains tight control over northern Gaza, where an estimated 300,000 people remain trapped amid the ruins. Aid workers report that existing delivery mechanisms have been systematically dismantled, with damaged roads, destroyed warehouses, and the constant threat of Israeli military operations making distribution nearly impossible.
“This announcement doesn’t address the core problem,” explained Daniel Levy, president of the U.S./Middle East Project and former Israeli peace negotiator. “It’s not just about getting trucks through crossings. It’s about the entire system of distribution being destroyed, along with the basic infrastructure needed to prepare food, access clean water, or store perishables.”
The statistics tell a devastating story. Before October 7, approximately 500 aid trucks entered Gaza daily. In recent months, that number has dwindled to fewer than 100 on most days, with many carrying ammunition rather than food, according to UN monitoring reports. The WFP estimates that meeting minimal nutritional needs would require at least 300 food trucks daily for the next three months.
I’ve covered humanitarian crises from South Sudan to Syria, but Gaza presents unique challenges. The density of the population, combined with the complete destruction of civilian infrastructure and the continued military operations, has created what Oxfam calls “a man-made famine in real time.”
Walking through the remains of Gaza’s largest flour mill last month—now reduced to twisted metal and concrete dust—I witnessed firsthand how systematic the destruction of food systems has been. Local sources told me Israeli forces had targeted not just the mill but food warehouses, bakeries, and agricultural land across the territory.
The Israeli government maintains these restrictions are necessary security measures. “We must ensure that aid does not reach Hamas terrorists,” said an IDF spokesperson in a statement yesterday. Yet humanitarian organizations counter that existing inspection protocols already address these concerns without strangling civilian access to food.
Neighboring Egypt has repeatedly offered to expand the capacity of the Rafah crossing, while Jordan has conducted airdrops of emergency supplies. However, these efforts remain symbolic without Israel’s cooperation in allowing sustained ground access.
“What we’re seeing is the weaponization of hunger,” said Claire Koppel, emergency coordinator with Médecins Sans Frontières. “And it’s happening with remarkable precision.”
American officials have grown increasingly concerned about their diminishing influence over Israeli policy. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller noted yesterday that the Biden administration “welcomes this step but continues to stress the need for dramatically increased humanitarian access.” The carefully worded statement reflects Washington’s frustration with Netanyahu’s government, which has largely ignored calls from its closest ally to improve humanitarian conditions.
The human cost of these policies continues to mount. At Al-Shifa Hospital—or what remains of it—doctors report treating patients for ailments once unheard of in Gaza: scurvy, pellagra, and marasmus—diseases of severe malnutrition typically associated with famines in failed states.
For Gaza’s civilians, the immediate future looks bleak. Most families have exhausted their savings and coping mechanisms. The UN reports that over 90% of the population is now skipping meals regularly, with many subsisting on one meal every two days.
“We’ve been reduced to boiling grass and weeds,” Amal, a 43-year-old mother of four, told me via text message from northern Gaza. “My children cry from hunger every night. This is not a life anyone should be forced to live.”
As ten trucks of “basic food” make their slow journey into northern Gaza, the question remains whether this represents a meaningful policy shift or merely a temporary concession designed to deflect international criticism. For Gaza’s starving population, the answer will come not in announcements but in whether their children’s stomachs are filled in the coming days.
