Israel using limited Gaza aid as 'smokescreen' to continue siege, says MSF
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Israel of allowing only a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as 'a smokescreen to pretend the siege is over'.
'As people remain in desperate need of medical care and assistance, Israeli authorities must stop the deliberate asphyxiation of Gaza and the annihilation of its healthcare system, which is underpinning their campaign of ethnic cleansing,' MSF said in a statement on Tuesday.
While Israeli authorities claimed that 100 aid trucks entered the besieged enclave on Wednesday, Reuters reported that aid officials and local sources said supplies had not reached Gaza's soup kitchens, bakeries, markets, or hospitals.
'None of this aid - which is a very limited number of trucks - has reached the Gaza population,' said Antoine Renard, country director for the World Food Programme.
Renard added that thousands of tonnes of food and other essentials are currently waiting near the crossing points into Gaza. However, without proper distribution, approximately a quarter of the population remains at risk of famine.
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Pascale Coissard, MSF's emergency coordinator in Khan Younis, said the decision to allow in such small amounts of aid after months of a total siege signals Israel's 'intention to avoid accusations of starving people in Gaza, while in fact keeping them barely surviving'.
'This plan is a way to instrumentalise aid, turning it into a tool to advance Israeli military objectives,' Coissard added.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the delay was due to Israeli requirements, which are complicating the entry of the limited number of aid trucks. The process involves offloading supplies on the Palestinian side and reloading them separately once UN access within Gaza is secured.
Palestinians across Gaza are experiencing worsening conditions and say the promises of aid are nothing more than media illusions.
According to UN estimates, at least 600 lorries per day are required to begin addressing Gaza's severe humanitarian crisis.
Dujarric said while the arrival of aid was a positive sign, it was "a drop in the ocean" compared to what is needed.
'Annihilation of Gaza'
Amid a severe shortage of aid, the Israeli military has intensified its attacks on civilians, aid distribution points, healthcare facilities and shelters.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza has killed 53,762 people since 7 October 2023, including more than 16,500 children.
MSF reported that at 6am on 19 May alone, its teams in Khan Younis heard one air strike every minute, including one that hit the grounds of Nasser Hospital.
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'Evacuation orders continue to uproot the population, while Israeli forces persist in their heavy attacks on health facilities,' the medical humanitarian organisation said.
The Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster estimates that more than 138,900 people were forcibly displaced in just five days, between 15 and 20 May.
'This marks a further escalation since the breakdown of the ceasefire on 18 March 2025,' the CCCM said in its latest update.
MSF warned that expanded military operations and expulsion orders have made it increasingly difficult for Gaza's population to access medical care.
It added that sustained attacks on civilians and healthcare infrastructure have severely crippled its ability to respond. Medical supplies are also critically low due to the ongoing siege and bombardment.
'Attacks on civilians and healthcare must stop immediately, and aid must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and in a manner that ensures it reaches those in need,' MSF stated.
'Israel's allies must apply all possible pressure to make this happen as a matter of utmost urgency. Every day that passes deepens their complicity in the annihilation of the people of Gaza.'
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