First aid trucks enter Gaza since early March - as UN says it is a 'drop in the ocean'

The first trucks carrying humanitarian aid have been allowed into Gaza following a nearly three month blockade of food, medicine and other supplies, Israel and the UN have said.

United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said Israel cleared nine trucks of aid on Monday to enter Gaza through the Keren Shalom crossing but added that it is "drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed".

Mr Fletcher said that "significantly more aid must be allowed into Gaza, starting tomorrow morning."

Israel's military said on Monday that five UN trucks humanitarian aid, including food for babies, were allowed into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing at the south of the territory.

A UN official earlier told the Associated Press news agency that 20 aid trucks carrying mostly food would go into the territory.

It comes after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to agree to allow a limited amount of aid into the besieged enclave in response to global concern at reports of famine.

In a video statement, posted to social media on Monday, Mr Netanyahu said Israel's "greatest friends in the world" - which he did not specify - had threatened to withdraw support for his country.

He added that there had been pressure from allies who said they couldn't support Israel's renewed military offensive if there are "images of hunger" coming from the Palestinian territory.

Mr Netanyahu said that a "starvation crisis" would jeopardise Israel's new offensive against Hamas in Gaza, and a "basic" amount of food would be allowed in.

Two far-right governing partners had pressed Mr Netanyahu not to allow aid into Gaza.

In a news conference on Monday, foreign ministry director general Eden Bar Tal accused Hamas of "hijacking" food and monetising aid "in order to feed its engine of war".

He said a new distribution mechanism would become operational within days, organised by the US-backed group Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), to "direct aid to the population in Gaza, but not to Hamas".

Mr Tal said Israel would "temporarily bridge the current needs" until GHF's operation begins, beginning on Monday, with trucks loaded with baby food being allowed into Gaza.

"The items to be supplied immediately include flour to the main bakeries operated by international organisations in the Gaza Strip, supplies of items to central kitchens operated by international organisations, baby food and medical supplies."

Meanwhile, international aid groups say they will not participate in the new distribution mechanism, saying it is not practical and won't reach the most vulnerable Palestinians.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel aimed to take control of all of Gaza and prevent Hamas militants from looting aid shipments - something it denies doing.

Some 600 aid trucks had entered Gaza each day during a ceasefire in the conflict earlier this year.

However Israel has just ramped up its offensive in the territory- where it has been conducting a military campaign in retaliation for 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023.

On Monday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for residents of Gaza's second-largest city, Khan Younis, and nearby towns, warning that the entire area "will be considered a dangerous combat zone".

Gaza's health ministry says more than 53,000 people have died in Israel's 19-month campaign, although it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It reported 464 people had died in Israeli military strikes in the week to Sunday

On Sunday, a British surgeon working in Gaza said in a video to Sky News that the enclave is now "a slaughterhouse" amid Israeli bombardment.

Ceasefire talks took place in Qatar over the weekend - with Israel saying they involved discussions with Hamas on ending the war as well as a truce and hostage deal - although there was no breakthrough.

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In a statement on Sunday, IDF said its air force struck "over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations" over the past week.

Israel previously said it aimed to pressure Hamas, seize territory, displace Palestinians to the south and take greater control over the distribution of aid.

Gaza has been under a complete blockade on humanitarian aid since 2 March.

Global food security experts have warned of famine across the territory and a recent UN-backed report warned one in five people in Gaza were facing starvation.

(c) Sky News 2025: First aid trucks enter Gaza since early March - as UN says it is a 'drop in the ocean'