The United Nations (UN) food aid program has warned that almost every third person in the Gaza Strip hasn’t eaten in days. “Malnutrition is increasing, and 90.000 women and children urgently need treatment,” reads the statement from the World Food Programme (WFP).
Warnings about famine in Gaza intensified this week. According to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, on Friday, another nine people died of malnutrition, bringing the total number of such deaths since the beginning of the war to 122.
On Friday, United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer proposed that the UK would play a role in delivering aid to Gaza by air after more than a third of members of parliament signed a letter calling on the government to recognize the Palestinian state.
This came after an Israeli security official said that in the coming days, air delivery of aid to Gaza might be allowed – something humanitarian agencies had previously warned was an inefficient way to supply Gaza.
“The news that Israel will allow countries to air-drop aid into Gaza came too late – but we will do everything we can to get aid through this route,” Starmer said.
Starmer also said that the UK is “urgently accelerating efforts” to evacuate children in need of critical medical care to the UK for treatment.
While local media reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan would carry out the latest deliveries, a senior Jordanian official said that his military had not yet received permission from Israel to do so.
The UN described the move as a “distraction from inaction” by the Israeli government. The move came amid growing international concern over the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. On Friday, Germany, France, and the UK called on Israel to “immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid” to the territory.
In a joint statement, they called for an immediate end to “the humanitarian catastrophe we are witnessing in Gaza” and to the war itself, adding that Israel must “fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law.”
“Denying basic humanitarian aid to the civilian population is unacceptable,” the statement said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he cannot “explain the level of indifference and inaction we are seeing from too many people in the international community – a lack of compassion, a lack of truth, a lack of humanity.”
Addressing Amnesty International’s global assembly, he said that more than 1.000 Palestinians had been killed trying to reach food since May 27th – when the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by the United States (U.S.) and Israel, began distributing supplies as an alternative to the UN-led system.
A U.S. security contractor who worked for GHF in May and June 2025 said on Friday that “without a doubt… I witnessed war crimes” during that time.
Anthony Aguilar said he saw the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and U.S. mercenaries use live ammunition, artillery, mortar shells, and tank fire against civilians at food distribution sites.
“In my entire career, I have never witnessed the level of brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against civilians until I was in Gaza at the hands of the IDF and U.S. mercenaries,” he said.
In its response, GHF said the claims – which came from a “disgruntled former contractor who was dismissed for misconduct a month ago” – were “categorically false.”
Meanwhile, the future of negotiations to secure a new ceasefire and a prisoner release agreement remains uncertain after the U.S. and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Hamas “actually didn’t want to make a deal.”
“I think they want to die,” he said.
Hamas expressed surprise at the U.S. statements.
A senior Hamas official said that intermediaries had informed them that the group’s negotiations had not collapsed and that the return of the Israeli delegation to Doha was expected next week.
In early March, Israel imposed a complete blockade on aid deliveries and two weeks later resumed its military offensive against Hamas, breaking a two-month ceasefire. They stated they wanted to pressure the group to release the remaining Israeli hostages.
Although the blockade was partially eased after nearly two months amid warnings from global experts about impending famine, shortages of food, medicine, and fuel have worsened.
Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times, and it is estimated that more than 90% of homes have been damaged or destroyed.
