Israel says it will allow ‘basic’ aid into Gaza after nearly 3 months of blockade

DEIR AL-BALAH Gaza Strip AP Israel revealed Sunday it will allow a limited amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade days after global experts on food protection warned of famine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned a starvation dilemma would jeopardize Israel s new military offensive in Gaza and his Cabinet approved a decision to allow a basic amount of food into the territory of over million people It was not at once clear when aid would enter Gaza or how The Israeli military body in charge of overseeing aid did not comment Israel has been trying to impose a new aid system despite objections by aid workers Netanyahu explained Israel would work to ensure that aid does not reach militants Israel imposed the blockade starting March cutting off all food medicine and other supplies to Gaza while pressing Hamas to accept new ceasefire terms Israel resumed the war days later shattering a two-month truce Earlier on Sunday Israel mentioned it launched extensive new ground operations in its new offensive the largest since the ceasefire Airstrikes killed at least people including dozens of children hospitals and medics revealed The bombardment also forced northern Gaza s main hospital to close as it communicated direct strikes Israel wants Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire that would free hostages from Gaza but not necessarily end the war Hamas says it wants a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a path to ending the war as part of any deal When the Jews want a truce Hamas refuses and when Hamas wants a truce the Jews refuse it Both sides agree to exterminate the Palestinian people reported Jabaliya resident Abu Mohammad Yassin who was among those fleeing the new offensive on foot or in donkey carts For God s sake have mercy on us We are tired of displacement Israel s military which in recent days called up tens of thousands of reservists announced the ground operations are throughout the Palestinian territory s north and south Israel s chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir disclosed that plans include dissecting the strip Airstrikes killed more than people including children and women in and around the southern city of Khan Younis according to Nasser Hospital which noted it struggled to count the dead because of the condition of bodies In northern Gaza a strike on a home in Jabaliya killed nine members of a family according to the Gaza Robustness Ministry s urgency services Another strike on a residence there killed including seven children and a woman according to the civil defense which operates under the Hamas-run establishment Israel s military had no immediate comment Its declaration announcing the ground operations noted preliminary strikes over the past week killed dozens of militants and struck more than targets Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militant group operates from civilian areas Talks in Qatar Israel had disclosed it would wait until the end of U S President Donald Trump s visit to the Middle East before launching its offensive saying it was giving ceasefire efforts a chance Trump didn t visit Israel on his trip that ended Friday Netanyahu s office reported his negotiating unit in Qatar was working to realize every chance for a deal including one that would end fighting in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages Hamas exile from Gaza and the disarmament of the territory Hamas has refused to leave Gaza or disarm Gaza s Strength Ministry has commented almost people have been killed since the last ceasefire ended Frustration in Israel has been rising A small but growing number of Israelis are refusing to show up for military arrangement even risking imprisonment Other Israelis have been displaying photos of children killed in Gaza during weekly rallies demanding a deal to free all hostages and end the war The war in Gaza began on Oct when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel killing people and abducting others Israel s retaliatory offensive has killed more than Palestinians several of them women and children according to Gaza s Vitality Ministry which doesn t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count Hospital cites Israeli siege Healthcare executives explained fighting around the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza and an Israeli military siege prompted it to shut down It was the main clinical facility in the north after Israeli strikes last year forced the Kamal Adwan and Beit Hanoun hospitals to stop offering services There is direct targeting on the hospital including the intensive care unit Indonesian Hospital director Dr Marwan al-Sultan disclosed in a declaration adding that no one could reach the facility that had about patients and curative staff inside Israel s military explained that troops were operating against militant infrastructure sites in northern Gaza including the area directly adjacent to the hospital Israel has repeatedly targeted hospitals accusing Hamas of being advancing in and around the facilities Human rights groups and U N -backed experts have accused Israel of systematically destroying Gaza s medical care system In northern Gaza at least people were killed in strikes according to first responders from the Medical Ministry and civil defense Gaza City s Shifa Hospital stated children and women were among the dead A drone strike Sunday afternoon killed at least seven Palestinians near a school sheltering displaced people northwest of Gaza City according to the Healthcare Ministry s urgency amenity Other strikes in central Gaza killed at least people including two children and four women according to hospitals In Gaza City Um Mahmoud al-Aloul lay across the shrouded body of her daughter Nour al-Aloul You took my soul with you she cried I used to turn off my phone from how much you called Magdy announced from Cairo and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv Israel Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman contributed to this summary from Tel Aviv Follow AP s war coverage at https apnews com hub israel-hamas-war