Israel will allow a “basic amount of food” into the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Sunday evening. The decision was taken to “avoid the development of famine” in the region, the statement said.
Since March 2, Israeli troops have blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza, vital for the 2.4 million residents who are currently facing “mass starvation,” according to several NGOs.
The announcement came hours after the Israeli army announced preparations for “extensive ground operations in the north and south of the Gaza Strip.” The evacuation order was issued late last night in several neighbourhoods in the southern part of the region.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel said it had launched “extensive” ground operations as part of its new offensive, the largest since the ceasefire. The airstrikes killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, medics said. The bombing also forced the closure of the main hospital in northern Gaza.
Israel wants Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire that would release hostages from Gaza but not necessarily end the war. Hamas, on the other hand, is demanding a full Israeli withdrawal and a path to end the war as part of any deal.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), has criticised Israel’s new military offensive on Gaza:
“Netanyahu is launching an offensive to destroy the sadistic besieged population of Gaza. Thousands of people will be killed. Thousands of children will be killed. This crime, after eighteen months of genocide planned and sanctioned by the ‘Western’ powers, seals the fate of all its accomplices in the eyes of the people of the world. In Gaza, an accomplice of the ‘West’ becomes a criminal power.”
