Despite Israel easing its blockade on Gaza, a deepening food crisis continues to claim lives. Aid trucks are entering, but chaos, violence, and logistical barriers prevent food from reaching the starving population—highlighting a breakdown in humanitarian delivery under war conditions.
Aid flows have increased, but looting, lawlessness, and military restrictions mean most food still doesn’t reach the starving population.
Despite international pressure and a partial easing of Israel’s blockade, Gaza remains gripped by a catastrophic hunger crisis. Food trucks are entering the territory in larger numbers, but the vast majority of supplies are not reaching the people who need them most. Aid groups warn that a “worst-case scenario of famine” is rapidly unfolding, and recent changes on the ground are far from enough to stem the tide of starvation.
Israel halted all food shipments into Gaza for two and a half months starting in March. When it eased restrictions in late May, an average of 70 aid trucks per day were allowed in—far short of the 500–600 daily trucks needed, according to the UN. Though recent days have seen an uptick to around 220–270 trucks daily, systemic issues still prevent meaningful aid distribution.
Many trucks are looted en route to their destinations. Crowds—often desperate civilians but also armed gangs—overwhelm the vehicles after they exit military-controlled zones. Some drivers have been attacked with knives or guns; others report being stripped of fuel, batteries, and cargo. Witnesses say Israeli troops sometimes fire into crowds near trucks. Israel claims it only fires warning shots.
Meanwhile, much of the aid remains stuck at Gaza’s border due to logistical breakdowns. UN trucks often cannot collect the supplies due to Israeli military restrictions, a lack of security, and crumbling infrastructure.
“This has resulted in many of our convoys being offloaded directly by starving, desperate people,” said Olga Cherevko of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “The only way to reach a level of confidence is by having a sustained flow of aid over a period of time.”
International airdrops have resumed but are largely symbolic. Aid workers say many packages land in unsafe or inaccessible areas. Some parcels even fall into the Mediterranean Sea. “I threw myself in the ocean to death just to bring him something,” said Momen Abu Etayya, who nearly drowned retrieving aid for his son. “I was only able to bring him three biscuit packets.”
Israel’s military has offered the UN armed escorts, but UN officials have declined, unwilling to be associated with a party to the conflict. Instead, they call for neutral, secure corridors—something still absent on the ground.
UN agencies also cite delays in military approvals and restrictions that force all aid trucks onto one heavily monitored route, making ambushes more likely. Antoine Renard of the World Food Programme said it recently took 12 hours to move just 52 trucks along a six-mile route.
Aid workers are increasingly frustrated. “These are theatrics, token gestures dressed up as progress,” said Bushra Khalidi of Oxfam. “A few trucks, tactical pauses, and raining energy bars from the sky won’t reverse the irreversible harm done to an entire generation.”
The breakdown of law and order continues to exacerbate the crisis. Aid has become a matter of survival of the fittest, says analyst Muhammad Shehada. “It’s a Darwin dystopia.”
Uncertainty also haunts Palestinians. With no clarity from Israel on how long the current measures will last, many fear the flow of aid could stop as suddenly as it started. “This approach is inappropriate for Palestinians, we are humiliated,” said Rida, a displaced woman in Gaza.
Despite images of starving children and waves of international condemnation, the humanitarian system in Gaza is faltering. Without sustained, safe, and large-scale aid access, food may enter Gaza—but famine will still win.