Aid finally trickles back into Gaza after a two-month Israeli blockade

Aid finally trickles back into Gaza after a two-month Israeli blockade

Aid has begun to trickle into Gaza for the first time in more than two and a half months, following widespread condemnation of Israel's total blockade that has sparked severe shortages of food and medicine.

Supply shipments into Gaza were blocked by Israel on 2 March after the first phase of a truce with Hamas expired with no agreement on subsequent stages that should secure a lasting end to the war.

Gaza's health ministry said more than 3,500 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on the strip on 18 March, taking the war's overall death toll to more than 53,600, mostly civilians.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.