UNRWA Demands Israel Allow Aid Into Starving Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has demanded that Israel immediately lift its ban on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, warning that millions face starvation. In a statement on X, UNRWA said it has warehouses in Egypt and Jordan stocked with enough supplies to fill around 6,000 trucks, but restrictions prevent the delivery.

The Israeli Authorities’ ban on UNRWA’s humanitarian aid into #Gaza must be lifted.

We are ready to continue our work.

Our warehouses in Egypt and Jordan are stocked, ready to fill around 6,000 trucks.

UNRWA has the system in place to distribute aid safely and at scale.

Let… pic.twitter.com/9fpMSRZtgi

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 30, 2025

“Our warehouses in Egypt and Jordan are stocked, ready to fill around 6,000 trucks,” the agency said. “We have the system in place to distribute aid safely and at scale.”

The appeal follows a global hunger monitor’s confirmation last week that famine is already occurring in Gaza, underscoring the urgency of allowing food, medical supplies, and fuel to reach civilians.

Israeli Attacks Intensify Across Gaza

At the same time, Israeli bombardments across Gaza intensified on Saturday. In Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, heavy artillery shelling continued from the early hours, witnesses reported.

In central Gaza, at least five people, including two children, were killed when Israeli forces struck a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Rescue workers said at least 15 more remain trapped under rubble.

In the south, Israeli airstrikes targeted areas near Khan Younis, killing a woman in a tent sheltering displaced families.

Gaza Death Toll Rises

According to health officials, at least 35 Palestinians have been killed since dawn in Israeli attacks across the enclave. Twenty of those deaths occurred in Gaza City, which has been under relentless aerial and ground assault.

The escalation adds to Gaza’s mounting civilian death toll, with aid agencies repeatedly warning that basic survival is becoming impossible under the siege.

Settler Violence in the West Bank

Violence has also escalated in the occupied West Bank. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli settlers stormed the Bedouin community of Shalla al-Auja, north of Jericho.

Residents reported that settlers released sheep into homes and vandalized property in what activists described as an ongoing campaign to drive the community from its land.

Hassan Malihat of the Al-Baidar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights said the incident was part of a wider pattern of harassment and forced displacement by settlers living in illegal outposts.

European States Push for Action Against Israel

International pressure on Israel is mounting. Slovenia and the Netherlands called on the European Union to take stronger action against Israel’s policies, including banning imports from West Bank settlements and halting arms deals.

Slovenia’s foreign minister said measures already taken included barring Israeli ministers from entry and restricting trade, while the Netherlands joined Sweden in pushing for EU-level sanctions.

Meanwhile, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Copenhagen is ready to sanction Israeli ministers and suspend the trade pillar of the EU’s association agreement with Israel, warning: “We are witnessing the most catastrophic humanitarian catastrophe. Israel must change its course.”

EU Remains Deeply Divided

Despite growing calls for sanctions, sharp divisions persist within the European Union. Germany, Austria, Italy, and Hungary maintain firm support for Israel and oppose punitive measures.

Other states, including Spain, Ireland, several Baltic nations, and Scandinavian countries, argue that the EU must act to uphold international law and human rights.

Diplomats say compromise steps, such as targeted restrictions on Israeli officials or symbolic trade measures, may be considered as unity on broader sanctions remains unlikely.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate rapidly. Aid groups warn that malnutrition, disease, and displacement are spreading at alarming rates, with little chance of relief without access to large-scale aid deliveries.

UNRWA’s call highlights a deepening international rift. While aid is available and ready to move, political restrictions have left millions of Palestinians trapped between war and famine.