Israel has resumed air dropping aid to Gaza, an Israeli military spokesperson said, a few days after more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave.
The military also said in a separate statement that designated humanitarian corridors would be established to enable the safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to the Gaza population, and that humanitarian pauses would be implemented in densely populated areas.
"The airdrops will include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food to be provided by international organisations," it added.
Palestinian sources confirmed that aid has begun dropping in northern Gaza this evening.
The Israeli announcement comes after the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned that any air drops of aid would not solve severe food shortages caused by months of restrictions on the entry of supplies.
"Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X, calling the wave of hunger affecting Gaza "man made".
"Lift the siege, open the gates & guarantee safe movements + dignified access to people in need," Mr Lazzarini said, referring to the various entry points under Israeli control that regulate access into Gaza.
Israel has faced mounting criticism from aid agencies, which accuse it of restricting aid delivery.
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the crisis as "man-made mass starvation".
Israel, which cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants.
It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's 2.2 million people.
Israel has also accused the United Nations of failing to act in a timely fashion, saying 700 truckloads of aid were idling inside Gaza.
"The IDF emphasises that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas," the Israeli military said in its statement.
"Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organisations. Therefore, the UN and international organisations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas."
More than 125 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, the Gaza Health Ministry said today.
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The plight of civilians in the Palestinian territory has gravely deteriorated in recent days, with international NGOs warning of soaring malnutrition among children.
The UN and NGOs on the ground have decried the severe scarcity facing Gaza's 2.4 million people, with shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel.
Humanitarian organisations accuse the Israeli army of imposing excessive restrictions on the goods allowed into Gaza and on the routes made available to transport the aid to distribution points.
The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, France and other countries carried out airdrops in Gaza in 2024, at a time when the transport of aid on land routes also faced restrictions.
Many in the humanitarian community consider such drops to be ineffective and dangerous due to the relatively small volumes of deliveries and the risk of aid seekers being killed by landing crates, as has previously happened in Gaza.
UK 'taking forward' plan to air drop food into Gaza
Earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told French and German leaders that the UK will be "taking forward" plans to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance in Gaza with partners like Jordan.
Mr Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz agreed to work "closely together on a plan" to "pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region", Downing Street said.
In a readout of the Prime Minister's call with the French President and German Chancellor, a Number 10 spokesperson said: "The three leaders talked about the situation in Gaza, which they agreed is appalling, and emphasised the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, for Israel to lift all restrictions on aid and urgently provide those suffering in Gaza with the food they so desperately need.
The leaders all agreed it would be "vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace".
They discussed their intention to "work closely together on a plan, building on their collaboration to date, which would pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region."
"They agreed that once this plan was worked up, they would seek to bring in other key partners, including in the region, to advance it.
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Why is France recognising Palestinian statehood?
Mr Starmer also rejected calls from MPs to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, while Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that recognising the State of Palestine before it is established could be counter-productive.
Some 221 MPs have signed a letter urging the British government to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the UN next week.
The UK would follow in the footsteps of France if it did, after Mr Macron announced on Thursday that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.
US President Donald Trump, who is currently visiting Scotland, said Mr Macron's announcement was "not going to change anything".
France's decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September drew condemnation from Israel and the United States, amid the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
