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Jewish Federations of North America 7.28.25

Update on Humanitarian Aid Relief in Gaza 

July 28, 2025

The Israeli government has launched a campaign to “flood Gaza” with humanitarian aid, even as it places the blame for the crisis squarely on Hamas, which seeks to exacerbate the crisis in order to put international pressure on the Jewish state. For an updated summary resource document on the issue, click here. 

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog:  

“I welcome the series of humanitarian measures…  including the humanitarian pauses. This is a moral, operational, political, and communicative necessity. This is how we distinguish ourselves from those who seek our destruction. Let it be clear – the responsibility for the situation of the residents of the Gaza Strip lies with the Hamas terrorist organization – it is the one that initiated a brutal massacre and refuses proposals for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages from the hell of captivity.” 

Dani Dayan, Chair of Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Holocaust Memorial: 

“Israel has the right and the duty to protect its citizens and dismantle this murderous threat. But as we do so, we must also uphold the values that define us: the sanctity of life, the rule of law, and the moral compass that has always guided the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the IDF.” 

See this op-ed by Yad Vashem’s Chair Dani Dayan: Israel's war in Gaza is not genocide, but we must act morally 

 

Israel Significantly Expands Aid Delivery

  • The Israeli government has announced a series of significant steps to greatly improve aid distribution in Gaza, and “flood the Strip” with important supplies.
  • For the first time since the war began in October 2023, Israel conducted air drops of humanitarian aid into Gaza, signaling a tactical shift in its delivery strategy. The Israel Air Force dropped pallets containing flour, sugar and canned food.
  • The IDF also said that it would implement daily humanitarian pauses from 10am to 8pm in areas where it is not operating, to allow safe passage for civilians and aid distribution. This would continue daily, “until further notice.”
  • Additionally, the IDF said that “secure routes” will be designated from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day “to enable the safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organization convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine to the population across the Gaza Strip.”
  • The IDF said that it has worked with the Israel Electric Corporation and connected a power line from Israel to a desalination plant in the Strip’s south, which was expected to supply “approximately 20,000 cubic meters of water per day, up from the 2,000 cubic meters supplied until now, to serve about 900,000 residents in the area.”
  • Israel’s President Isaac Herzog welcomed the moves, calling them a “major step” and emphasizing that Israel is working with international partners to improve the flow of supplies through designated corridors, airdrops, and expanded humanitarian zones. 
  • Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reported that 180 additional trucks entered Gaza today, joining hundreds more awaiting collection by UN agencies. 

Coordination of International Efforts

  • Israel has also coordinated with international bodies to dramatically increase the effective delivery  of aid.
  • The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan have begun coordinated air drops of aid into Gaza, in partnership with the IDF. So far, 25 tons of aid were dropped, using three aircraft.
  • UAE representatives also began work on the construction of a water pipeline from a desalination facility in Egypt to the al-Mawasi area on the coast of the southern Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are currently concentrated. Work could be completed as quickly as within a few weeks.
  • The United Nations’ aid chief Tom Fletcher announced today that some movement restrictions have been eased by Israel in Gaza. He said that initial reports indicate that more than 100 truckloads of aid were collected from crossings to be transported into Gaza. “This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis.” He added that the UN will try to reach “as many starving people” as possible.
  • The UN’s World Food Program says it has enough food in, or on its way to, the region to feed the over 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip for almost three months.
  • Egyptian trucks carrying aid began crossing into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel yesterday. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 tons of food aid to southern Gaza through the crossing.

Distribution Challenges

  • Despite the increased flow of aid, hundreds of trucks remain queued on the Gaza side of the crossings, with Israeli officials blaming UN agencies and NGOs for slow collection and distribution. On July 22, 2025 the Coordinator’s Office noted that 950 loaded aid trucks were waiting on the Gaza side of crossings (Kerem Shalom, Zikim) for collection – enough food to feed Gaza’s population for over two weeks. Watch footage here.
  • The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), in close coordination with Israel, continues to operate its three distribution hubs, delivering millions of meals daily, but faces ongoing resistance from Hamas and affiliated groups, who view the GHF as undermining their authority. See these letters from GHF asking the UN to cooperate with them to ensure even more effective aid distribution. Unfortunately, the UN refused. By mid-July, more than 75 million meals had been distributed by GHF. The centers are now delivering around 2 million meals per day, all of which are certified Halal. 
  • Allegations continue of Hamas stealing aid designated for Israel’s population. See footage here. Also, see these pictures of Gazan crowds raiding a Hamas center where stolen aid supplies were being kept.

Widespread Starvation in Gaza?

  • Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said on Friday that at least 56 people had died of causes related to malnutrition in the previous three weeks. The number could not be verified, and the international community considers Hamas figures to be unreliable.
  • Over the weekend, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said, “Since the war began, Israel has allowed 94,000 truckloads of food into Gaza—enough to feed 2 million people for two years—while Hamas has profited $500 million from the humanitarian aid it stole.” Watch his full remarks here.
  • U.S. and Israeli aid officials say Hamas has used starvation claims as a political tool. GHF director Johnnie Moore stated that Hamas and some UN groups are running a disinformation campaign to undermine the new aid program.  Israeli authorities similarly assert that Hamas encouraged Gazans to spread alarming rumors and even delay receiving aid, to pressure Israel and shape international opinion.
  • Israel, the GHF and others contend that there is no widespread hunger in Gaza. There are troubling examples of photos being reproduced by media around the world that are not accurate. One famous photo, which purports to show a starving Gazan child and has galvanized global support for Gaza’s population, has proven to have a false backstory. The child is Osama al-Raqab. He has cystic fibrosis, a serious genetic illness that causes his body to look emaciated.  Further, Osama has been in Italy receiving treatment since June 12. Israel enabled his medical transfer from Gaza.
  • While Israel maintains that the efforts to portray widespread starvation in Gaza are incorrect and politically motivated, some Israeli officials have acknowledged that the food supply situation in Gaza is deteriorating. Even as the government places the blame for the situation clearly on Hamas (as well as on distribution problems caused by the United Nations), Israeli government officials have said that Israel is willing to do much more to help Gaza’s civilians. See:

See here for recording of the webinar held by Jewish Federations on Friday about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.Also see this Humanitarian Aid Update from July 24, 2025, and an Executive Summary on the topic.

For more information, please contact: Jewish Federations of North America’s Dani Wassner dani.wassner@jewishfederations.org. Subscribe to this weekly update here.