As the population in Gaza faces famine, Israel has agreed to increase aid access in a deal negotiated with the European Union that would allow more food trucks to enter the territory and open some border crossings.
The EU and Israel came to an understanding that "aid at scale must be delivered directly to the population", EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement on Thursday.
EU member states have been divided over sanctions on Israel over its war in Gaza. However the bloc has used its trade ties as leverage, with France and other countries saying they would review the EU-Israel Association Agreement if Israel did not allow aid into Gaza.
Israel has restricted aid since a ceasefire deal fell through in March. As a result, Gaza's two million residents are facing hunger and even famine in some areas.
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'Substantial increase' in aid
In the coming days there will be a "substantial increase" in daily trucks bringing food and other aid into Gaza, via the reopening of border crossings in the north and the south and routes through Jordan and Egypt.
The deal includes protection for aid workers, including safe passages for convoys, as well as the repair of infrastructure such as power supplies and water desalination.
Fuel deliveries will also restart, allowing hospitals to remain open and bakeries and public kitchens to operate and help distribute food.
The EU said it "stands ready to co-ordinate" with humanitarian organisations and NGOs on the ground to ensure that the aid is distributed.
The deal also includes measures to “ensure that there is no aid diversion to Hamas”.
“We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed," Kallas said on X (formerly Twitter).
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Ceasefire talks
Meanwhile, Israeli and Hamas negotiators are continuing indirect talks in Qatar over a proposed 60-day ceasefire and a hostage release plan.
On Wednesday, Hamas said it would release 10 more of the hostages taken during the 7 October, 2023 attack, which triggered Israel’s war on Gaza – which has now killed more than 57,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Of 251 hostages seized during the assault on Israeli border communities near Gaza, 49 are still being held in the territory, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Hamas said that although the negotiations "remain difficult due to the intransigence of the occupation" it wanted to show the "necessary flexibility" by agreeing to release the hostages.
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Attacks on medical infrastructure
Israel, meanwhile, has been continuing to attack Gaza, killing 52 people on Thursday according to Gaza’s civil defence.
These attacks included a strike on a medical centre in Deir al-Balah that killed 16 people, including children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israel's military said it had struck a militant who took part in the 7 October attack, and that it was aware of reports regarding injuries and that the incident was under review.
The United Nations has condemned Israeli attacks on Palestinian health facilities, its detention of medics and its restrictions on allowing medical supplies into the territory.
The UN’s OCHA humanitarian agency said in May that the UN had documented at least 686 attacks impacting healthcare in Gaza since the war began.
(with newswires)
