Sawt Falasteen - Gazans wait for aid as Israel faces mounting pressure

Rescuers in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory told AFP that overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 19 people, including a week-old baby.

Israel said 93 trucks had entered Gaza on Tuesday but faced accusations the amount fell far short of what was required. The United Nations said the aid had been held up.

The world body had announced on Monday that it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, sparking critical shortages of food and medicine.

Umm Talal Al-Masri, 53, a displaced Palestinian living in an area of Gaza City, described the situation as "unbearable".

"No one is distributing anything to us. Everyone is waiting for aid, but we haven't received anything," she told AFP.

"We're grinding lentils and pasta to make some loaves of bread, and we barely manage to prepare one meal a day."

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the volume of aid Israel had started to allow into Gaza was not nearly enough for the population of 2.4 million, describing it as "a smokescreen to pretend the siege is over".

"The Israeli authorities' decision to allow a ridiculously inadequate amount of aid into Gaza after months of an air-tight siege signals their intention to avoid the accusation of starving people in Gaza, while in fact keeping them barely surviving," said MSF's emergency coordinator in the south Gaza city of Khan Yunis, Pascale Coissard.

A statement released Wednesday on Emirati state media said the United Arab Emirates had reached an agreement with Israel to allow the delivery of "urgent humanitarian aid" to Gaza.

"The aid will address the food needs of approximately 15,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip in the initial phase," it said.

It was not immediately clear when the UAE's aid would be sent to Gaza. AFP has asked Israeli authorities for comment.

- 'Untenable' -

The Israeli army stepped up its offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza's Hamas rulers, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.

AFPTV footage of southern Gaza from the Israeli side showed multiple strikes throughout Wednesday morning.

In Khan Yunis, distraught relatives cried as their family members were brought to the city's Nasser Hospital following a strike.

The charred legs of the dead, including a young child, were visible from under blankets laid on the floor.

Israel has faced massive pressure, including from traditional allies, to halt its intensified offensive and allow aid into Gaza.

European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that "a strong majority" of foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc backed the move to review its trade cooperation with Israel.

"The countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable... and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid," she said.

Sweden said it would press the EU to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers.

Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador and said it was imposing sanctions on settlers in the occupied West Bank in its toughest actions so far against Israel's conduct of the war.

Pope Leo XIV described the situation in Gaza as "worrying and painful" and called for "the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid".

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas welcomed the international rejection of Israel's "blockade" and "starvation" of the territory.

Israel's foreign ministry has said the EU action "reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing".

- 'Take control' -

Israel said "93 UN trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including flour for bakeries, food for babies, medical equipment and pharmaceutical drugs were transferred" to Gaza on Tuesday, but the UN reported difficulties in receiving deliveries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday that Israel would "take control of all the territory of the Strip" with its new campaign.

Israel resumed operations across Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.

Negotiators from Israel and Hamas began new indirect talks in Doha at the weekend.

Late Wednesday, Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of refusing to accept a deal, saying Israel was recalling its senior negotiators but leaving some of its team in Doha.

Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.

Gaza's health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,427 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,573.

W.Mansour--SF-PST