Starvation and desperation is gripping the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian health minister Majed Abu Ramadan says children and elderly have been the most affected by the severe deprivation of food aid in recent days.
"We have info that more than 29 young children, infants and elderly lost their lives because of starvation-related issues."
The United Nations says a quarter of Gaza's 2.3 million people are currently at risk of famine.
After an 11-week total blockade, Israel has finally allowed some aid deliveries to resume into the desperate region.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says about 90 trucks have now delivered critical humanitarian aid to multiple destinations within Gaza.
“Yesterday about 90 loaded trucks left the Kerem Shalom crossing to multiple destinations inside Gaza. They carried nutrition supplies, flour, medicines and other critical stocks that were allowed in. They continue to face huge challenges in getting goods out of the crossings to where they are needed in Gaza. The shipment from yesterday is limited in quantity and nowhere near sufficient to meet the scale and scope of Gaza's 2.1 million people. Other supplies such as fresh food, hygiene items, water purification agents and fuel to power hospitals have not been let in for 80 days.”
Flour and other aid began reaching some of Gaza's most vulnerable areas, with Palestinians in the southern city of Khan Younis, including children, scrambling to gather supplies that were being distributed.
And, for the first time in over a month, the Bana bakery in Gaza's central city of Deir al-Balah has opened its doors after the UN's World Food Program was able to bring in flour to bake flatbread, a local staple.
The Program's Vladimir Jovcev says the supplies are insufficient but he hopes the borders can stay open and more food can flow in.
"Symbolically you know, the smell of fresh bread is the smell of hope. So we hope that you know, the borders remain open, the crossings remain open and then we’re able to bring more humanitarian aid to assist everyone in here. The bread produced in this bakery will not be sold at the moment on the counters in the bakeries. It is going to be distributed through our existing network of partners, mainly the ones operating the hot meals kitchen, and given to the ones that are mostly in need."
But as aid trickles in, a new, intensified Israeli ground offensive into Gaza has begun with local health authorities saying more than 500 Palestinians have been killed in the past week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his military intends to seize all of the Gaza Strip, destroy Hamas, free Israeli hostages and displace the Palestinian population.
Tom Fletcher, the UN's humanitarian chief, has issued a dire warning.
"The scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling. Those who will die as a result need us to act. Some parties to conflict have committed flagrant violations of the rules of law. Some have justified immense civilian harm through permissive interpretations of the law, loosely defining who is a lawful target, what constitutes a military objective, or what level of civilian harm is proportional."
The comments come two days after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, along with the leaders of France and Canada, demanded a ceasefire and an end to the Israeli blockade.
Britain paused free trade talks with Israel on Tuesday, summoning the Israeli ambassador, and announcing further sanctions against settlers in the West Bank.
