Gaza Faces Starvation Crisis as UN Aid Lorries Looted, Israel Denies Responsibility

Gaza is grappling with severe malnutrition and starvation, with the United Nations warning of an escalating crisis. On Sunday, July 27, 2025, Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian chief, reported that most of the UN’s food lorries were looted by desperate, hungry Palestinians after entering Gaza. This followed Israel’s implementation of a 10-hour daily “tactical pause” in military operations to allow aid delivery, alongside airdrops by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Fletcher described the aid delivered as “a drop in the ocean” compared to Gaza’s needs, emphasizing that “vast amounts” of food are required to prevent starvation. He noted that while 120 lorry loads of aid were collected from crossings on Sunday, this is far below the 600-700 daily loads that entered during a two-month ceasefire earlier this year. Fletcher also highlighted the dangers faced by UN drivers, citing bureaucratic and security constraints, as well as looting by starving civilians.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported 14 additional malnutrition-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total since October 2023 to 147, including 88 children. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that malnutrition is on a “dangerous trajectory,” with 74 deaths in 2025 alone, 63 of which occurred in July, including 24 children under five. The WHO condemned the “deliberate blocking and delay” of aid as a preventable crisis. US President Donald Trump, during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, acknowledged the dire situation, stating, “Those children look very hungry… that’s real starvation stuff.” He criticized Israel’s approach, suggesting they “have to do it a different way.” This contrasts with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that allegations of deliberate starvation are a “bold-faced lie.” Netanyahu insisted that Israel facilitates aid entry and blamed Hamas for obstructing supplies, accusing the group of reversing the truth. Israel’s military body, Cogat, reported that over 120 lorry loads were collected on Sunday, with hundreds more awaiting distribution. However, Fletcher warned that the temporary pauses, expected to last only a week, are insufficient. He called for a sustained period of aid delivery and, ultimately, a ceasefire to address the “21st-century atrocity” unfolding in Gaza. Recent reports from the New York Times and Reuters, citing US and Israeli sources, found no evidence of systematic aid theft by Hamas, contradicting Israel’s claims. Meanwhile, hospital sources reported that Israeli attacks on Monday killed over 30 people, including aid seekers. The conflict, sparked by a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 and took 251 hostages, has resulted in at least 59,821 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.