Gaza, Israel resumes humanitarian aid deliveries. Tension over the arrival of the Handala ship

Safe corridors and “humanitarian pauses” announced. The IDF: “We are not starving the population”. Trump accuses Hamas of sabotaging the truce, but Islamic leaders say they are appalled by this statement

Israel has announced the resumption of humanitarian aid drops over the Gaza Strip, after days of international criticism and accusations of blocking aid to the civilian population. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have announced that new air drops containing seven pallets of flour, sugar and canned food supplied by international organisations will be carried out this evening. The operation is part of a ‘series of actions to improve the humanitarian situation’ and, according to the IDF, also aims to ‘refute the false accusation that Israel is deliberately starving Gaza’.

In addition to the airdrops, the army has established humanitarian corridors to allow the safe passage of UN convoys carrying food and medicine. The armed forces have also said they are ready to implement “humanitarian pauses” in densely populated areas, while reiterating that military operations against Hamas will continue.

Tension is also high at sea, where the IDF is monitoring the Handala, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship headed for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. The Israeli authorities are awaiting political guidance on whether to intercept it. French MP Gabrielle Cathala, who is on board the ship, has denounced the risk of “an illegal kidnapping by the Israeli navy in international waters”. Live images show passengers wearing life jackets in anticipation of a possible boarding.

Meanwhile, on the diplomatic front, Donald Trump’s words are surprising, according to which Hamas “did not really want” a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages. “We are surprised,” said Taher al-Nunu, Hamas spokesman, “also because progress had been made in the negotiations”. At the moment, however, the Israeli and US delegations have suspended talks.

In the United States, discontent is also growing within the administration. According to Axios, Secretary of State Marco Rubio — during a private meeting with the hostages’ families — said that “it is time to rethink the strategy on Gaza” and that “new options need to be presented to the president”. Some sources admit that the line taken so far ‘has not produced results’, while Israel and the US are increasingly isolated diplomatically, seen by many allies as jointly responsible for the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)