Israeli Strikes Kill 85 In Gaza; Israel Blocks Aid Despite Promise To Lift Siege

<p>Israel launched a new military offensive in Gaza on Tuesday killing at least 85 Palestinians, according to the health officials despite growing international criticism.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Israeli officials also said they allowed in dozens more trucks carrying aid. However, the United Nations refuted the claim saying Israel is still blocking food from reaching starving Palestinians, reported The Guardian.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office (Ocha) told a Geneva press briefing that only five aid trucks had reached Gaza by Tuesday afternoon and aid workers were not being given permission to distribute even that token shipment.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While Israeli authorities approved “around 100” other trucks to enter Gaza, they have not yet let them cross, he said. Even that shipment would do little to reduce widespread hunger after 11 weeks of near-total siege, as per the report.&nbsp;</p>
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<h2>Aid Not Reaching Palestinians</h2>
<p>According to Israeli officials responsible for aid distribution in the besieged strip, 93 aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday. However, they did not respond to whether the food and medicines they carried had been authorised for distribution.</p>
<p>On Sunday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he was ending the siege on Gaza because a “starvation crisis” would damage his country’s global standing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Israel gave in to allow a “minimal” amount of aid into the Palestinian territory after preventing the entry of food, medicine, and fuel in an attempt to pressure Hamas.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The aid included flour for bakeries, food for soup kitchens, baby food, and medical supplies. The UN humanitarian agency said it is prioritising baby formula in the first shipments. However, none of it has reached Palestinians, according to the UN. &nbsp;Dujarric described the new security process for getting aid cleared to warehouses as &ldquo;long, complex, complicated and dangerous.&rdquo;</p>