Israel-Gaza latest: Israel only allowing 'teaspoon' of aid into Gaza, UN boss says as he demands access

UN demands Israel allow aid into Gaza

"All the aid authorised until now amounts to a teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required," says UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres.

"The needs are massive and the obstacles are staggering."

Strict quotas, prohibitions of key supplies and unnecessary delay procedures are being imposed, he says. 

"Meanwhile, the Israeli military offensive is intensifying with atrocious levels of death and destruction.

"Four-fifths of the territory of Gaza is a no-go zone for the people of Gaza."

He calls for a permanent ceasefire, the immediate release of hostages and full humanitarian access.

The UN has the personnel, distribution networks and community relationships necessary, says Guterres.

There are 9,000 trucks-worth of supplies waiting, he says.

For context: Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies starting on 2 March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters - a charge the group denies. 

Netanyahu allowed just 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment into Gaza on Wednesday.

The UN has said a quarter of Gaza's 2.3 million people are at risk of famine.

The Gaza healthcare system has been barely functioning, with most of the medical facilities out of order, because of repeated Israeli military strikes, raids and the ban on the entry of medical supplies, medics say.

More aid enters Gaza - but how much is needed?

As we reported earlier (8.25am post) the Israeli military says 107 trucks carrying flour, food, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals entered Gaza yesterday.

Aid began to re-enter the Strip earlier this week after Israel lifted a blockade that began in early March.

However, 107 trucks is still well below the 500 per day the UN says crossed into the Palestinian territory before the war started in October 2023. 

Israel contends, however, that a large amount of aid entered Gaza during the recent period of hostage and prisoner releases.

The Israeli government says that between 19 January and 2 March, 25,200 aid trucks carrying 447,538 tons of supplies crossed the border.

During that period, it puts the number of trucks going in weekly at 4,200.

That includes air drops at crossings.

Israel imposed the blockade on Gaza to try to put pressure on Hamas, which it blamed for causing hunger by stealing aid meant for civilians. 

Hamas denies the allegation.

At a clinic in central Gaza, one medical worker told Sky News that almost half of all under-fives attending the facility have acute or severe acute malnutrition - compared to around one in 20 before Israel implemented its total blockade on 2 March.

Sky News understands that Israel has forbidden aid agencies from storing food and medication at warehouses, requiring that all food entering Gaza be taken directly to its final location.

France rejects Netanyahu attack

France has joined the UK in rejecting criticism from Benjamin Netanyahu that Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer and Canada's Mark Carney are "on the wrong side of humanity" for criticising Israel's actions in Gaza.

Sophie Primas, a spokesperson for the French government, said France "does not accept this accusation".

"We do not confuse the Israeli people with the policies being pursued today by Benjamin Netanyahu," she says. "You know the great, immense reservations we have, particularly regarding what is happening in Gaza."

"I think we must de-escalate this rising tension between our two states and work to find lasting peace solutions for Israel and Palestine."

Earlier, UK armed forces minister Luke Pollard also rejected Netanyahu's strong criticism of Sir Keir Starmer (see 9am post).

Israelis call for ceasefire near Gaza border

A growing number of Israelis are protesting the war in Gaza as mounting international pressure threatens to turn the country into a pariah on the world stage.

Below are the latest images from Sderot, near Israel's border with Gaza, where anti-war demonstrations have increased in recent months.

Protesters hold signs calling for Israel to "free ghetto Gaza" and "stop the genocide".

60 killed in Gaza in past 24 hours, health ministry says

Sixty Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military offensive in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave has said.

According to its latest figures, 53,822 people have now been killed by Israel since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

A further 185 people have been injured during that time, it added.

The ministry's figures do not differentiate between Hamas fighters and civilians.

For context: While Israeli officials have cast doubt on the numbers killed in Gaza, several independent groups say the ministry's figures have proved to be largely reliable and broadly in line with those later produced by the UN and Israel itself.

Examination of data from previous Gaza conflicts, comparing the ministry's counts with post-war UN analysis, shows the initial data is largely accurate with, at most, a 10-12% discrepancy.

'Would Macron let Hamas live on the border of Paris?' Israeli ambassador hits out at France

Israel's ambassador to the US has criticised the French government for its ongoing opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza.

France joined with the UK and Canada on Monday to condemn Israel's "egregious" ongoing miliary actions in Gaza. 

Emmanuel Macron is also leading efforts to secure international recognition of a Palestinian state at a UN summit with Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to US correspondent Mark Stone, Yechiel Leiter, whose son Moshe was killed in the first month of the Israel-Hamas war, said his country refused to "roll over and play dead".

"My son would be alive today if we did what the government of France and most European countries are condemning us of doing," he said.

"If you want to criticise, first sit down and talk and present an alternative."

"You want us to turn around and leave and let Hamas stay at our border? Would Emmanuel Macron allow for Hamas to be on the border of Paris?

"We're a tiny, small country and we can't afford to have jihadis who want to eliminate us on our border - it's that simple."

Explained: Netanyahu's week of tension with the UK, France and Canada

The past five days have seen a step change in the UK's diplomatic relations with Israel - and for France and Canada.

Sparked by a statement from the three countries on Monday and then inflamed after the killing of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington on Wednesday, it's been a busy week.

Here's how relations between Jerusalem, London, Paris and Ottawa have fluctuated this week:

Starmer, Macron and Carney statement

As Israel's blockade of aid allowed into Gaza threatened to enter its 12th week, the UK joined France and Canada, all three allies of Israel, in condemning the restrictions.

In a joint statement on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney promised "concrete actions" unless Israel ended its latest military offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

-SKY NEWS