Starving Palestinians swarm aid trucks in Gaza — as Israel announces daily pause in fighting
The grim footage, shot by a reporter on the ground, captured scores of people clamoring on top of two moving trucks in southern Gaza on Saturday, just days after images of starving Palestinian children alarmed the world.
As the trucks inched by, hundreds of people on the ground could be seen shoving each other as they tried to rush towards the vehicles, the clip shows.
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The wild scenes came as Israel announced Sunday that its military would pause operations in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi for 10 hours a day — between 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. — to allow for the improved flow of aid into the region.
5 Hundreds of desperate Palestinians swarmed aid trucks in Gaza over the weekend.
MOHAMMED SABER/EPA/Shutterstock
Israel's military said designated secure routes, or humanitarian corridors, would also be established between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. from Sunday to allow the United Nations to disperse food and medicine in Gaza.
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United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said some movement restrictions already appeared to ease by Sunday after the Jewish state decided to 'support a one-week scale-up of aid.'
Initial reports indicated that more than 100 truckloads of aid had already been collected from crossings to be transported into Gaza, according to Fletcher.
'This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis,' Fletcher said.
5 Harrowing images showed people clamoring on top of moving trucks in parts of Gaza on Saturday.
Xinhua/Shutterstock
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5 People could be seen carrying sacks of supplies as the trucks moved through.
MOHAMMED SABER/EPA/Shutterstock
Meanwhile, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into Gaza on Sunday, a Jordanian official said.
Aid agencies have welcomed Israel's new measures, but warned they weren't enough to counter the rising hunger in the Palestinian territory.
The measures come after photos of malnourished kids sparked global concern late last week — including from Israel's close allies.
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President Trump, who described the portraits of emaciated children in Gaza as 'terrible', vowed Monday to send more US aid to the war-torn enclave.
5 As the trucks inched by, hundreds of people on the ground could be seen shoving each other as they tried to rush towards the vehicles.
MOHAMMED SABER/EPA/Shutterstock
'If we weren't there. I think people would have starved frankly,' Trump said. 'They would have starved and it's not like they're eating well.'
He added that the United States had already provided $60 million for humanitarian aid but that other nations would have to step up, too.
'We're giving a lot of money and a lot of food, and other nations are now stepping up,' Trump said. 'It's a mess. They have to get food and safety right now.'
Trump claimed he'd received blowback from some of his supporters but stressed he decided to send aid to Gaza anyway because there is 'a humanitarian reason for doing it.'
'Will I do more aid, yeah,' Trump said when asked about sending additional resources.
'The US is going to do more aid for Gaza but we would like to have other countries participate.'
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5 The wild scenes came as Israel announced Sunday that its military would pause operations in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi for 10 hours a day.
AFP via Getty Images
The Gaza Health Ministry said dozens have died of malnutrition in recent weeks — including at least 14 new fatalities in the 24 hours leading into Monday.
In total, 147 have died of malnutrition and hunger since the war began in 2023, including 89 children, according to the health ministry.
Israel has blamed Hamas for the current humanitarian crisis gripping the region, arguing the terror group has disrupted food distribution.
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'Israel is presented as though we are applying a campaign of starvation in Gaza,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the wake of the recent backlash.
'What a bald-faced lie. There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.'
With Post wires
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Chicago Tribune
14 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Why not enough food is reaching people in Gaza
International outcry over images of emaciated children and increasing reports of hunger-related deaths have pressured Israel to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. This week, Israel paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food. But aid groups and Palestinians say the changes have only been incremental and are not enough to reverse what food experts say is a 'worst-case scenario of famine' unfolding in the war-ravaged territory. The new measures have brought an uptick in the number of aid trucks entering Gaza. But almost none of it reaches U.N. warehouses for distribution. Instead, nearly all the trucks are stripped of their cargo by crowds that overwhelm them on the roads as they drive from the borders. The crowds are a mix of Palestinians desperate for food and gangs armed with knives, axes or pistols who loot the goods to then hoard or sell. Many have also been killed trying to grab the aid. 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