Israel allows trucks into Gaza, but supplies still low
The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent says its operations in Gaza may stop within days in the absence of fresh supplies and its ambulance fleet was running at only one-third of capacity due to fuel shortages.
Flour and other aid began reaching some of Gaza's most vulnerable areas on Thursday after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week Israeli blockade, Palestinian officials said.
Israel said it let in 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment on Wednesday, two days after announcing its first relaxation of the blockade under mounting international pressure amid warnings of starvation in Gaza.
Asked how long his organisation could continue operating in Gaza, Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib told reporters in Geneva: "It's a matter of time. It could be days.
"We are running out of fuel. The capacity of ambulances we work with now is one third," he added, saying its gasoline-powered ambulances had already halted but it had some that were running on solar power provided by the United Nations.
The PRCS is part of the world's largest humanitarian network, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and provides medical care in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Al-Khatib criticised the small amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza so far, warning of the risk of mob attacks.
"I think that is an invitation for killing. These people are starving," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Thursday the construction of a "distribution zone" would be completed in the coming days with US companies distributing food in areas controlled by the Israeli military.
"Ultimately, we intend to have large safe zones in the south of Gaza. The Palestinian population will move there for their own safety while we conduct combat in other zones, and receive humanitarian aid there without Hamas interference," he said in a video statement released by his office.
Israel imposed the blockade on all supplies in March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters - a charge the group denies.
The United Nations has said one quarter of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people are at risk of famine.
The Palestinian health minister said 29 children and elderly people had died from starvation-related reasons in the enclave in recent days and many thousands more were at risk.
Israel has repeatedly defended its controls on aid in the Gaza Strip, saying reports from aid groups of famine-like conditions were exaggerated and denying accusations of causing starvation.
On Wednesday night, boys and young men gathered after one vehicle arrived in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis but kept back as men, some holding guns, watched over the unloading of sacks.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had got one truck of medical supplies through to replenish its field hospital in Rafah but more was needed.
Israel has stepped up its military operation in the Gaza Strip since early May, saying it is seeking to eliminate Hamas' military and governing capabilities and bring back remaining hostages seized in October 2023.
Israel launched its campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 which killed 1200 people by Israeli tallies and resulted in 251 hostages being abducted.
The campaign has since killed more than 53,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip, where aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.
The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent says its operations in Gaza may stop within days in the absence of fresh supplies and its ambulance fleet was running at only one-third of capacity due to fuel shortages.
Flour and other aid began reaching some of Gaza's most vulnerable areas on Thursday after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week Israeli blockade, Palestinian officials said.
Israel said it let in 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment on Wednesday, two days after announcing its first relaxation of the blockade under mounting international pressure amid warnings of starvation in Gaza.
Asked how long his organisation could continue operating in Gaza, Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib told reporters in Geneva: "It's a matter of time. It could be days.
"We are running out of fuel. The capacity of ambulances we work with now is one third," he added, saying its gasoline-powered ambulances had already halted but it had some that were running on solar power provided by the United Nations.
The PRCS is part of the world's largest humanitarian network, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and provides medical care in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Al-Khatib criticised the small amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza so far, warning of the risk of mob attacks.
"I think that is an invitation for killing. These people are starving," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Thursday the construction of a "distribution zone" would be completed in the coming days with US companies distributing food in areas controlled by the Israeli military.
"Ultimately, we intend to have large safe zones in the south of Gaza. The Palestinian population will move there for their own safety while we conduct combat in other zones, and receive humanitarian aid there without Hamas interference," he said in a video statement released by his office.
Israel imposed the blockade on all supplies in March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters - a charge the group denies.
The United Nations has said one quarter of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people are at risk of famine.
The Palestinian health minister said 29 children and elderly people had died from starvation-related reasons in the enclave in recent days and many thousands more were at risk.
Israel has repeatedly defended its controls on aid in the Gaza Strip, saying reports from aid groups of famine-like conditions were exaggerated and denying accusations of causing starvation.
On Wednesday night, boys and young men gathered after one vehicle arrived in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis but kept back as men, some holding guns, watched over the unloading of sacks.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had got one truck of medical supplies through to replenish its field hospital in Rafah but more was needed.
Israel has stepped up its military operation in the Gaza Strip since early May, saying it is seeking to eliminate Hamas' military and governing capabilities and bring back remaining hostages seized in October 2023.
Israel launched its campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 which killed 1200 people by Israeli tallies and resulted in 251 hostages being abducted.
The campaign has since killed more than 53,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip, where aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.
The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent says its operations in Gaza may stop within days in the absence of fresh supplies and its ambulance fleet was running at only one-third of capacity due to fuel shortages.
Flour and other aid began reaching some of Gaza's most vulnerable areas on Thursday after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week Israeli blockade, Palestinian officials said.
Israel said it let in 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment on Wednesday, two days after announcing its first relaxation of the blockade under mounting international pressure amid warnings of starvation in Gaza.
Asked how long his organisation could continue operating in Gaza, Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib told reporters in Geneva: "It's a matter of time. It could be days.
"We are running out of fuel. The capacity of ambulances we work with now is one third," he added, saying its gasoline-powered ambulances had already halted but it had some that were running on solar power provided by the United Nations.
The PRCS is part of the world's largest humanitarian network, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and provides medical care in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Al-Khatib criticised the small amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza so far, warning of the risk of mob attacks.
"I think that is an invitation for killing. These people are starving," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Thursday the construction of a "distribution zone" would be completed in the coming days with US companies distributing food in areas controlled by the Israeli military.
"Ultimately, we intend to have large safe zones in the south of Gaza. The Palestinian population will move there for their own safety while we conduct combat in other zones, and receive humanitarian aid there without Hamas interference," he said in a video statement released by his office.
Israel imposed the blockade on all supplies in March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters - a charge the group denies.
The United Nations has said one quarter of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people are at risk of famine.
The Palestinian health minister said 29 children and elderly people had died from starvation-related reasons in the enclave in recent days and many thousands more were at risk.
Israel has repeatedly defended its controls on aid in the Gaza Strip, saying reports from aid groups of famine-like conditions were exaggerated and denying accusations of causing starvation.
On Wednesday night, boys and young men gathered after one vehicle arrived in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis but kept back as men, some holding guns, watched over the unloading of sacks.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had got one truck of medical supplies through to replenish its field hospital in Rafah but more was needed.
Israel has stepped up its military operation in the Gaza Strip since early May, saying it is seeking to eliminate Hamas' military and governing capabilities and bring back remaining hostages seized in October 2023.
Israel launched its campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 which killed 1200 people by Israeli tallies and resulted in 251 hostages being abducted.
The campaign has since killed more than 53,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip, where aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.
The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent says its operations in Gaza may stop within days in the absence of fresh supplies and its ambulance fleet was running at only one-third of capacity due to fuel shortages.
Flour and other aid began reaching some of Gaza's most vulnerable areas on Thursday after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week Israeli blockade, Palestinian officials said.
Israel said it let in 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment on Wednesday, two days after announcing its first relaxation of the blockade under mounting international pressure amid warnings of starvation in Gaza.
Asked how long his organisation could continue operating in Gaza, Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib told reporters in Geneva: "It's a matter of time. It could be days.
"We are running out of fuel. The capacity of ambulances we work with now is one third," he added, saying its gasoline-powered ambulances had already halted but it had some that were running on solar power provided by the United Nations.
The PRCS is part of the world's largest humanitarian network, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and provides medical care in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Al-Khatib criticised the small amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza so far, warning of the risk of mob attacks.
"I think that is an invitation for killing. These people are starving," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Thursday the construction of a "distribution zone" would be completed in the coming days with US companies distributing food in areas controlled by the Israeli military.
"Ultimately, we intend to have large safe zones in the south of Gaza. The Palestinian population will move there for their own safety while we conduct combat in other zones, and receive humanitarian aid there without Hamas interference," he said in a video statement released by his office.
Israel imposed the blockade on all supplies in March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters - a charge the group denies.
The United Nations has said one quarter of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people are at risk of famine.
The Palestinian health minister said 29 children and elderly people had died from starvation-related reasons in the enclave in recent days and many thousands more were at risk.
Israel has repeatedly defended its controls on aid in the Gaza Strip, saying reports from aid groups of famine-like conditions were exaggerated and denying accusations of causing starvation.
On Wednesday night, boys and young men gathered after one vehicle arrived in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis but kept back as men, some holding guns, watched over the unloading of sacks.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had got one truck of medical supplies through to replenish its field hospital in Rafah but more was needed.
Israel has stepped up its military operation in the Gaza Strip since early May, saying it is seeking to eliminate Hamas' military and governing capabilities and bring back remaining hostages seized in October 2023.
Israel launched its campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 which killed 1200 people by Israeli tallies and resulted in 251 hostages being abducted.
The campaign has since killed more than 53,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip, where aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.
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In the aftermath of the strikes on Thursday, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military "has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist". US officials said this week that US president Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei. Trump later said there were no plans to kill him "at least not for now". Meanwhile, Israel carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor and its only functioning nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast on the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli air strikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1300 wounded. 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Already, Israel's campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he would travel to Geneva for meetings with his European counterparts on Friday, indicating a new diplomatic initiative might be taking shape. Trump has said he wants something "much bigger" than a ceasefire and has not ruled out the US joining Israel's campaign. Iran has warned of dire consequences if the US deepens its involvement, without elaborating. with Reuters Israel's defence minister has overtly threatened Iran's supreme leader after the latest missile barrage from Iran damaged a major hospital and hit a high-rise and several other residential buildings near Tel Aviv. At least 40 people were wounded in the attacks, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service. Black smoke rose from the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba as emergency teams evacuated patients. There were no serious injuries in the strike on the hospital. In the aftermath of the strikes on Thursday, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military "has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist". US officials said this week that US president Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei. Trump later said there were no plans to kill him "at least not for now". Meanwhile, Israel carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor and its only functioning nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast on the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli air strikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1300 wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. The hospital said the main impact was on an old surgery building that had been evacuated in recent days. After the strike, the medical facility was closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases, it said. Soroka has more than 1000 beds and provides services to around one million residents in the south of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the strike on the hospital and vowed a response, saying: "We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran." Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, although most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defences. Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium. Iranian state TV said there was "no radiation danger whatsoever" from the attack on the Arak site. Israel had warned earlier on Thursday morning that it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran's nuclear program, and Iran's only operating nuclear power plant in Bushehr. A military official later said "it was a mistake" to say there was a strike on the Bushehr plant. An attack on Bushehr, which is near Iran's Arab Gulf neighbours and employs technicians from Russia, would potentially be a major escalation in Israel's air war. Iran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes. The strikes came a day after Iran's supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them". Israel had lifted some restrictions on daily life on Wednesday, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing. Already, Israel's campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he would travel to Geneva for meetings with his European counterparts on Friday, indicating a new diplomatic initiative might be taking shape. Trump has said he wants something "much bigger" than a ceasefire and has not ruled out the US joining Israel's campaign. Iran has warned of dire consequences if the US deepens its involvement, without elaborating. with Reuters Israel's defence minister has overtly threatened Iran's supreme leader after the latest missile barrage from Iran damaged a major hospital and hit a high-rise and several other residential buildings near Tel Aviv. At least 40 people were wounded in the attacks, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service. Black smoke rose from the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba as emergency teams evacuated patients. There were no serious injuries in the strike on the hospital. In the aftermath of the strikes on Thursday, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz blamed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the military "has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist". US officials said this week that US president Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei. Trump later said there were no plans to kill him "at least not for now". Meanwhile, Israel carried out strikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor and its only functioning nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast on the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli air strikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1300 wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. The hospital said the main impact was on an old surgery building that had been evacuated in recent days. After the strike, the medical facility was closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases, it said. Soroka has more than 1000 beds and provides services to around one million residents in the south of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the strike on the hospital and vowed a response, saying: "We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran." Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, although most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defences. Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium. Iranian state TV said there was "no radiation danger whatsoever" from the attack on the Arak site. Israel had warned earlier on Thursday morning that it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran's nuclear program, and Iran's only operating nuclear power plant in Bushehr. A military official later said "it was a mistake" to say there was a strike on the Bushehr plant. An attack on Bushehr, which is near Iran's Arab Gulf neighbours and employs technicians from Russia, would potentially be a major escalation in Israel's air war. Iran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes. The strikes came a day after Iran's supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them". Israel had lifted some restrictions on daily life on Wednesday, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing. Already, Israel's campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he would travel to Geneva for meetings with his European counterparts on Friday, indicating a new diplomatic initiative might be taking shape. Trump has said he wants something "much bigger" than a ceasefire and has not ruled out the US joining Israel's campaign. Iran has warned of dire consequences if the US deepens its involvement, without elaborating. with Reuters
