Israel to resume airdrop aid to Gaza, military says
Israel has faced mounting criticism from aid agencies, which accuse it of restricting aid delivery.
July 26 (Reuters) - Israel will resume airdrop aid to Gaza on Saturday night, the Israeli military said, a few days after more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave.
"The airdrops will include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food to be provided by international organizations," the military added in a statement.
The military also said that designated humanitarian corridors would be established to enable the safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to the Gaza population, and that humanitarian pauses would be implemented in densely populated areas.
Israel has faced mounting criticism from aid agencies, which accuse it of restricting aid delivery. The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the crisis as "man-made mass starvation."
Israel, which cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's 2.2 million people.
Israel has also accused the United Nations of failing to act in a timely fashion, saying 700 truckloads of aid were idling inside Gaza.
"The IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas," the Israeli military said in its July 26 statement.
"Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations. Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas."
More than 125 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
(Reporting by Hatem Maher, Enas Alashray, Emily Rose and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Daniel Wallis)