Trump’s remarks followed warnings from Tom Fletcher, the UN’s top humanitarian official, who said that enormous quantities of food and aid were still urgently needed to prevent further deaths. Fletcher acknowledged Israel’s recent decision to allow aid deliveries through tactical pauses and airdrops, but stressed that the efforts so far were “a drop in the ocean.” Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Fletcher said the international community must urgently scale up deliveries to meet the dire needs on the ground, emphasizing that the next few days could determine whether a full-blown famine is averted.
The situation remains deeply concerning. On Sunday, the Israeli military launched its first daily 10-hour “tactical pause” in certain areas of Gaza, intended to facilitate humanitarian access and the safe movement of aid. Israel claimed that 120 aid trucks were collected by international organizations during the pause, while Jordan and the United Arab Emirates reportedly airdropped 28 packages of food. However, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza later reported that another 14 people had died from malnutrition in just 24 hours, bringing the total death toll from hunger-related causes since the conflict began in October 2023 to 147, including 88 children.
Despite controlling the flow of all supplies into Gaza, Israel has denied that a starvation crisis exists and has rejected allegations that its military campaign has contributed to food shortages. Netanyahu has insisted that Israel has enabled humanitarian aid to enter Gaza throughout the conflict, and he placed blame squarely on Hamas, accusing the group of obstructing aid delivery. “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza,” he said. “There is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza. Otherwise, there would be no Gazans.”
UN humanitarian workers have described the challenges on the ground as extreme. Fletcher reported that most of the UN’s food trucks were looted by desperate civilians shortly after entering Gaza. “Most of those lorries were hit by starving individuals. The flour was taken off those lorries, and it’s very, very dangerous for our drivers,” he said. He also noted that bureaucratic and security challenges were making it difficult for aid teams to access and distribute supplies. According to Fletcher, the UN had managed to collect fewer than 100 lorry loads on Sunday, in contrast to the 600 to 700 trucks that entered Gaza daily during the earlier two-month ceasefire.
The World Health Organization also issued a stark warning, saying that the rate of malnutrition and hunger-related deaths in Gaza had reached alarming levels. Of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths recorded in 2025, 63 occurred in July alone. Among the victims were 24 children under the age of five. Many of the deceased were reportedly declared dead on arrival at health facilities, their bodies showing signs of severe wasting and prolonged hunger. The WHO condemned the crisis as “entirely preventable” and blamed it on the deliberate obstruction and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian assistance.
While Israel argues that it has taken significant steps to allow aid through designated corridors and coordinated airdrops, critics argue that these measures are insufficient and symbolic at best. Fletcher warned that the military’s tactical pauses may last only a week, which he described as grossly inadequate given the scale of the emergency. “We need a sustained period of delivery—weeks, months—not days. Ultimately, what we need is a ceasefire. Pauses are a step in the right direction, but stopping the conflict is the key,” he said.
The question of whether Hamas has been diverting or stealing aid has also stirred controversy. Hamas has denied such accusations, and recent reports from both the New York Times and Reuters cite senior Israeli and US officials who say there is no conclusive evidence that Hamas has systematically diverted or stolen humanitarian assistance. These findings appear to undercut some of the claims made by Israeli officials about why aid is failing to reach civilians.
Netanyahu, however, remained defiant, accusing critics of spreading lies and excusing inaction. He insisted that the UN had “no excuses left” for not distributing aid properly, now that Israel had opened access routes and paused military operations in key areas. “Stop lying. Stop finding excuses. Do what you have to do,” he declared.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to inflict heavy civilian casualties. On Monday, local medical sources reported that more than 30 people had been killed across Gaza in Israeli strikes, including individuals attempting to access food and assistance. The war, now nearing its tenth month, began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas launched a deadly cross-border attack on southern Israel that killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. Since then, the death toll in Gaza has soared. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, over 59,800 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military campaign.
Humanitarian organizations and governments worldwide are calling for sustained access for aid and a political resolution to end the suffering. Despite tactical pauses and temporary measures, aid agencies insist that only a long-term ceasefire and a reliable humanitarian corridor will be able to halt the worsening crisis. The scenes of hunger, the rising death toll from starvation, and the mounting international pressure are placing Israel’s strategy and the broader conflict under intense global scrutiny.