Gaza Israel's new measures do not help alleviate hunger crisis, say humanitarians

Aid workers have said Israel's new measures - meant to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza - fall far short of what is needed and that aid access continues to be blocked as the population's famine grows.

- William Christou

The measures, which came into effect on Sunday and include daily humanitarian pauses, airdropped aid and humanitarian corridors for UN aid lorries, were announced by Israel as international pressure mounted to alleviate the hunger crisis.

Aid groups have said Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid into the strip is the principle cause of the starvation crisis, in which 151 Palestinians have died of hunger, more than half of them in the past month.

Israel's military has continued to fight, killing at least 103 people in Gaza yesterday, according to the health ministry.

"Twenty-one months in, these are token gestures... We're being blocked and delayed at every turn," said Bushra Khalidi, the policy lead at Oxfam, commenting on the new Israeli aid measures.

Most of the crossings into Gaza are still not in use. The UN has called for a full ceasefire and for Israel to allow humanitarian groups to massively increase the territory's food supply to address the hunger crisis.

The number of aid lorries entering Gaza has increased since the new measures were announced. More than 200 lorries entered on Tuesday, according to the Israeli authority Cogat. An average of 70 lorries had entered each day since May.