CAIRO/JERUSALEM, May 28 – Israeli airstrikes killed at least six Palestinians guarding aid trucks against looters in Gaza on Friday, Hamas officials said, as the United Nations warned that only a “teaspoon” of humanitarian aid was reaching the territory following an 11-week Israeli blockade.
The Israeli military reported that 107 trucks carrying flour, food, and medical supplies entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing on Thursday, bringing the total since the easing of the blockade on Monday to 305. However, UN officials said Gaza’s population of two million requires at least 500 to 600 aid trucks daily.
Distribution efforts have been severely hampered by looting near the southern city of Khan Younis, where armed groups have seized supplies intended for vulnerable families, according to an umbrella network of Palestinian aid organizations. The UN World Food Programme said 15 trucks carrying flour to bakeries were looted, underscoring the dire humanitarian conditions.
“Hunger, desperation and anxiety over whether more food aid is coming is contributing to rising insecurity,” the World Food Programme said in a statement.
Hamas said six members of a security team protecting aid shipments were killed in Israeli strikes. The Israeli military, which regards all armed Palestinians as militants, denied responsibility and accused Hamas of masking looters as “guards” to disrupt aid distribution.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that without “rapid, reliable, safe and sustained aid access,” more lives would be lost and the long-term impact on Gaza’s population would be severe. Germany criticized the aid deliveries as “far too little, too late and too slow,” calling for a significant increase in assistance.
Israel announced plans to launch a new aid distribution system, sponsored by the United States and managed by private contractors, operating from four centers in southern Gaza. The UN has rejected this system, citing concerns that aid distribution would be conditioned on Israel’s political and military objectives.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued intensive ground and air operations targeting weapons storage and rocket launchers in Gaza. Palestinian medical services reported at least 25 deaths in overnight strikes.
The Israeli campaign, launched after Hamas militants’ cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, has resulted in over 53,600 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza health authorities, and widespread malnutrition is reported across the region.
