Thomas Mackintosh
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Aid agencies have said today that Israel's decision to allow air drops of food into Gaza is inadequate and a "grotesque distraction" that won't end starvation in the Strip.

Israel announced earlier it will allow aid air drops by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the coming days - but it's not clear yet when those drops will begin. Israel has repeatedly insisted that there is no restriction on aid deliveries to Gaza.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has reported an additional five deaths due to malnutrition today, bringing the total to 127 since the war began. That number includes 85 children.

Fears are rife within Gaza about the risks involved in air dropping aid. One man tells the BBC: "When aid is dropped from the air, it risks landing directly on tents, potentially causing serious harm, including injury or even death."

Meanwhile, Palestinians struggle to source food for their families, with one mother saying they are "living with no food or drink, no food, no bread, not even water. We’re craving even water."

We will shortly be pausing our coverage on the worsening malnutrition crisis in Gaza.

• If you would like to read more about today's developments, head to our main news article
• For even more analysis, BBC Verify has looked at what is inside the food aid box being distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Emir Nader
Reporting from Jerusalem

The food distribution was announced in advance, like many before it, in a post on social media carrying an illustration of smiling Palestinians receiving boxes of aid.

This time, however, the invitation shared by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was different, featuring illustrations of only women and suggesting that "only women are welcome to come" and that "men should avoid the site".

On Thursday, sisters Mary and Khawla set off early for the aid point in the southern Rafah area. By the time they arrived, the scene was already chaos.

"There was a huge crowd of women and the place seemed out of control, they couldn't offload and distribute the aid," Khawla says. "They started spraying the women with pepper spray, then they brought stun grenades and started throwing them on the women to force them backwards."

The sisters got split up in the mayhem, and when Khawla tried to call Mary, a stranger picked up and told her the owner of the phone had been shot and taken to hospital.

"I called again and this time I was told she was shot in the head. I ran like crazy and called again, but this time I was told the owner of this phone had been killed," Khawla recalls.

Medics at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said later that Mary died from a bullet injury to the neck. She is one of two women known to have been killed on Thursday's "women's day".

• We have more about the women-only distribution day - as well as the chaos reported at GHF sites - in our news story

Image source, Reuters

As the hunger crisis grows in Gaza, crowds of Palestinians are waiting with empty pots at overwhelmed soup kitchens.

In a translated interview with Reuters in Gaza City, Umm Abdallah al-Sharafy says that she's been waiting since 06:30 this morning for aid.

"I have been here and I haven’t eaten, neither me nor my children and we haven’t drunk as well," she explains.

Umm has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and she says that "she started to slap herself in the face" when she saw her mother return with an empty pot yesterday.

"I gave her a sip of water to make her stop," she says. "Then our neighbour gave her half a loaf of bread."

"We are living with no food or drink, no food, no bread, not even water. We’re craving even water,” she adds.

Air drops - and who receives them - would be nearly impossible to regulatepublished at 16:43 British Summer Time 26 July

16:43 BST 26 July

Joe Inwood
World news correspondent

Earlier, I reported on the response from three aid agencies about Israel’s plan to allow aid air drops by third countries into Gaza.

They have highlighted issues, most notably around the potential risks of thousands of tonnes of food supplies being dropped onto the densely populated Gaza strip. Those were illustrated during a similar operation last year, says Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

“They turned deadly on a number of occasions. Both people drowning in the sea as they tried to collect aid that had had blown into the Mediterranean… Aid where the parachutes malfunctioned, and the boxes landed and crushed people.”

Even when aid does land safely, she said, “it was chaos. People were fighting over the aid. People were getting injured. People were getting even killed.”

The debate over air drops has come about primarily due to the failure of aid to enter Gaza via the traditional land routes.

Israel and the US have accused aid agencies of allowing supplies to be diverted by Hamas and other armed groups.

That is something they have always denied, saying there is no evidence of systematic looting. A recent USAID report said there was no evidence of the practice.

Air drops, they all pointed out, would be all but impossible to regulate.

“They don't provide the ability to have monitoring systems,” says Donnelly of the IRC. “You don’t know who's getting the aid, how is being used and ultimately, who's benefiting from it.”

Image source, Reuters

An internal US government analysis has found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian supplies, according to reports from Reuters and CNN.

The study was reportedly carried out by a bureau within the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and completed in late June.

The agency looked at 156 incidents of theft or loss of US-funded supplies, and found “no reports alleging Hamas” benefited from the aid, according to a presentation seen by both news outlets.

A State Department spokesperson disputed the reports, saying there is "endless video evidence of Hamas looting" aid, but did not provide footage supporting the statement.

CNN reports the findings were presented to officials - including those in the State Department’s Middle East bureau - but it's unclear if they have reached the department's leadership.

Image source, Ministry of Defence

Let's bring you some voices from inside Gaza, where one woman has told the BBC Arabic's Middle East Daily that the air drop process of aid involves a number of risks.

"We’ve experienced this before in the northern Gaza Strip," she says. "I am one of those who refused to be displaced. At the time, the air dropped aid provided some relief - it made things a bit easier for the people.

"But back then, our numbers were smaller, so most families were able to receive the aid. However, many lives were lost in the process due to the dangers involved in retrieving it.

"That is why we sincerely hope the border crossings will be opened so that that aid can be delivered through the usual and safer channels, such as the United Nations or Unrwa.”

Another man believes those who promote the air dropping of aid are exploiting the suffering of the Palestinians inside the Gaza Strip.

"I believe that the air drops have proven to be a failure over the past months, as they have caused numerous tragedies for civilians," he says. "This method is unsafe - especially here in the north of Gaza - where there is no clear space to drop the aid.

"When aid is dropped from the air, it risks landing directly on tents, potentially causing serious harm, including injury or even death. In contrast, aid distributions previously carried out through Unrwa were far more effective, organized, and far-reaching."

In an update, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says five new deaths have been recorded as a result of malnutrition in the last 24 hours.

It says this brings the total number of deaths from malnutrition to 127 since the war began, including 85 children.

Aid agencies say air drops into Gaza 'grotesque distraction' - but better than nothingpublished at 15:27 British Summer Time 26 July

15:27 BST 26 July

Joe Inwood
World news correspondent

I’ve spent the morning speaking to some of the world’s biggest and most respected aid agencies to get their perspective on the air drops that will soon be used to deliver aid into Gaza.

Between the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) there was near unanimity.

“In a case where we are facing widespread starvation, any amount of food is better than none,” says Shaina Low of the NRC. “But the amount of aid that can come through air drops is just a fraction of what can be delivered through trucks through the land crossings.”

Ciarán Donnelly of the IRC is stronger in his language: “Aid drops are a grotesque distraction from the reality of what's needed on the ground in Gaza right now. They can never deliver the volume, the consistency or the quality of aid and services that's needed.”

“At the same time, it doesn’t allow us to distribute aid in the most effective way, as you don’t know who will get it,” points out Nebal Farsakh from the IFRC.

That seems to be the primary objection. Air drops are just not able to meet the vast – and growing – humanitarian needs on the ground in Gaza.

The total number killed and injured in Gaza

In its latest update, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 57 people have been killed "as a result of Israeli aggression" and a further 512 injured in the last 24 hours in the Strip.

It says this brings the death toll to 59,733, with 144,477 injured overall since the war began on 7 October 2023

Deaths and injuries at aid collection points

The Hamas-run ministry also reports that a further 29 people have been killed collecting aid from distribution points, with another 165 injured in the last 24 hours.

It says this brings the total number of deaths at such locations to 1,121 and the number of those injured to 7,485.

Malnutrition deaths and injuries

There has not yet been an update on the number of people in Gaza who have died from malnutrition in the last 24 hours.

Yesterday, the Hamas-run health ministry reported that nine people had died in the 24 hours before.

This, they said, brought the total number of deaths from malnutrition to 122, including 83 children.

Since then, the health ministry has said that a six-month-old child has died from malnutrition.

• As a reminder, international journalists - including the BBC - are blocked by Israel from entering Gaza independently, so we are unable to verify figures issued by the Hamas-run ministry

With no sign of a ceasefire deal any time soon - and no major aid deliveries to ease the situation in Gaza - Palestinians are still struggling to get food.

Pictures coming in from Gaza City show a large crowd waiting outside a charity kitchen hoping to secure a hot meal:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA-EFE

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has carried out "systematic learning processes" to improve its "operational response" and to reduce friction between the population and the military during aid collection.

In practice, this means putting up fences, placing signs, opening extra routes, and taking other steps, according to the IDF.

The comments come in response to Jeremy Bowen's interview with a retired US soldier who worked with the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) claiming to have "witnessed war crimes" at GHF distribution centres in the Strip.

The military also says it's reviewing reports that civilians were harmed when they arrived at GHF facilities.

• For context: There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses say most have been shot by Israeli forces

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group backed by Israel and the US to deliver aid in Gaza, has been operating in Gaza since late May.

It says it has distributed 91 million meals in that time, but there have been frequent reports of Palestinians being killed while at GHF sites; the UN human rights office says at least 766 have died in the vicinity of one of the GHF's four distribution centres.

Now, a retired US soldier who worked with GHF tells the BBC's Jeremy Bowen about the "amateur" operation he witnessed - take a look:

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

In a picture posted by Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry on social media, the six-month-old baby identified as Zeinab Abu Halib is seen, with her body skin and bone.

The ministry said she died because of severe malnutrition and a lack of baby formula.

The World Food Programme says nearly one-in-three people in Gaza is not eating for days at a time, warning that 90,000 women and children are in urgent need of treatment.

Souad Nasser is a displaced resident from Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza.

"The kids keep yelling, saying they want a piece of bread, all day," she says. "We split the bread in little pieces. We give them a pita bread over the whole day."

Earlier this year, Israel temporarily blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza. It then backed a new mechanism for the distribution of supplies, through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

It requires people to go to militarised distribution points, often at great risk. Since its implementation, more than a thousand Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid, according to the United Nations, which has described the system as a death trap.

In an interview with the BBC, a whistle blower who quit the GHF said he had witnessed indiscriminate brutality against desperate civilians, calling the incidents possible war crimes.

In response, the Israeli military said lessons had been learnt following incidents.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could lead to more aid being let into Gaza. But negotiations are deadlocked and, for now, there’s no indication that any deal is imminent.

I've seen families killed by aid falling from the skypublished at 13:01 British Summer Time 26 July

13:01 BST 26 July

Jeremy Bowen
International editor, reporting from Jerusalem

The suggestion of allowing air drops is a quick and symbolic gesture by Israel.

It’s a way they can respond to real pressure from Western allies, particularly in Europe.

It won’t make much difference to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

It’s not an efficient way to deliver aid. I've seen air drops in places like Iraqi Kurdistan and Bosnia, and I've seen families killed by pallets falling from the sky in tented camps.

With most of Gaza's population now crowded into a small area of the Gaza Strip, how can they drop supplies safely and make sure people can actually reach them?

The only effective solution is a ceasefire and the influx of big lorry convoys into Gaza over many months.

Each pallet that lands risks causing a riot, with desperate people rushing to get to it.

Image source, Getty Images

The head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa has criticised aid air drops, which he says "will not reverse the deepening starvation" in Gaza.

In a social media post, Philippe Lazzarini warns air drops are "expensive, inefficient, and can even kill starving civilians".

Instead, he says political will is required to "lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need".

Lazzarini goes on to suggest that his organisation has "the equivalent of 6,000 trucks" waiting for the "green light" into Gaza in Jordan and Egypt.

"Driving aid through is much easier, more effective, faster, cheaper & safer. It’s more dignified for the people of Gaza," he adds.

The Israeli military body which coordinates the entry of aid into Gaza says "around 90 food trucks" were unloaded at aid crossings yesterday, while "over 100" were collected by the UN and international organisations from Gaza.

Cogat suggests, though, that "hundreds of trucks still await pick up" and shares images of what it says are "hundreds of UN aid pallets still awaiting collection and distribution".

It marks the latest update in exchanges of blame between Israel and the UN for the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel maintains that there are no restrictions on aid getting into the territory, with a government spokesperson suggesting the UN is working with Hamas to disrupt aid distribution.

The UN has rejected this suggestion, and says Israel is making it difficult to collect aid inside Gaza through bureaucratic obstacles.

Hamas, meanwhile, denies that it has been stealing aid from collection points.

The UN has previously estimated that 600 trucks of aid are required each day to begin tackling the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Jeremy Bowen
International editor, reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, UK Parliament

Some 220 MPs in the UK have signed an open letter to the prime minister about Palestinian statehood.

They want the UK to follow France - and a majority of member states of the United Nations - in recognising a sovereign Palestinian state.

It is, in a way, a counsel of despair at the depth of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and a rejection of Israel’s ruthless methods.

The serious intent longer term is to point to what they want the future to look like, and to give some meaning to the idea of a two state solution.

That’s the idea of an independent Palestine alongside Israel.

For many years, as Israel expanded illegal Jewish settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, it has become an empty slogan. Israel is firmly against the idea.

Benjamin Netanyahu says it would be a launch pad for those who want to destroy Israel. After 7 October, many Israelis and their supporters abroad would agree.

The counter-argument is that the root of the conflict is Israel’s denial of Palestinian self-determination.

Undoubtedly those pressing for UK recognition of a Palestinian state want to put pressure on Israel.

Extreme ultra-nationalists in the Israeli government say the correct Zionist response would be to annex the occupied West Bank.

And don’t forget the Americans are almost entirely behind everything that Israel is doing, and they have also condemned the French move.

As we've been reporting, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday rejected a letter signed by some 220 MPs, which called for the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state.

Despite this, Labour MP Sarah Champion, the Chair of the International Development Committee who drafted and coordinated the signing of the letter, says she remains an "optimist".

Starmer has suggested that recognising a Palestinian state should come as part of a wider plan for the region, but Champion responds: "What is the plan, what is the timescale, and why not now?"

“This is something that has to happen if we want a two state solution," she told our colleagues on the Today programme a little earlier. "What is the alternative if we don’t have a two state solution? It doesn’t bear thinking about.”

To recognise a Palestinian state, Champion suggests, would "very publicly recognise the self-determination of the Palestinian people” and give them "hope".

Image source, Reuters

As we wait to learn more about how the proposed air drops of aid in Gaza might work, let's have a look at some of the latest developments of the last 24 hours:

• Israel says foreign countries will be able to supply aid to Gaza via air drops in the coming days, with Jordan and the UAE tipped to conduct this latest round - but details on when and how the drops will happen aren't available yet
• The UK is committing to do "everything we can" to get aid to Gaza via air drops, according to Prime Minister Keir Starmer
• But the UN warns this type of delivery is "expensive and inefficient", while Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says vulnerable people will struggle to access the dropped supplies amid likely chaotic scenes
• The hunger crisis in Gaza has increased pressure on Israel to increase aid distribution, but Israel appears more interested in dismissing criticism than addressing the crisis - our Middle East correspondent writes
• Israel, however, says the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed "millions of meals" and accuses the UN of working with Hamas to restrict aid distribution
• The World Food Programme says nearly one in three people in Gaza hasn't been eating for days at a time, warning that 90,000 women and children are in "urgent need of treatment" for malnutrition
• The leaders of France, the UK and Germany all agreed that Israel must "immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid"
• But, only France has so far committed to recognising a Palestinian state - with Starmer refusing to bow to pressure from over 200 MPs to do the same

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

It's understood that a small team of British military planners and logisticians is being made available to help Jordan with air dropping aid into Gaza. They could be deployed within the next two days.

The Prime Minister wrote in the Mirror this morning that the government was "already working urgently with the Jordanian authorities to get British aid onto planes and into Gaza".

The UK has also previously sent planes to directly drop aid, with UK forces having completed 11 airdrops into Gaza to deliver 110 tonnes of relief items as part of a Jordanian-led international air coalition.

It's also understood that a new scheme will be launched to enable critically ill children in Gaza to access medical treatment in the UK.

It's not yet known when that will start or how many children are likely to be helped but it is expected to build on work by the existing initiative Project Pure Hope, which previously brought 2 children to the UK in April.