Humanitarian weakness: Israel blocks Russian supplies to Gaza
Russian humanitarian aid, food and basic necessities, has been unable to enter Gaza for more than six months, Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko told Izvestia. According to him, this is happening because of Israel's position. At the same time, a real humanitarian catastrophe is currently taking place in Gaza, which only worsened after September 16, when the IDF launched Operation Gideon's Chariot 2. In recent weeks alone, about 350,000 people have been forced to leave Gaza City, residents lack food, lack proper medical care, and civilians, including children, often become victims of IDF attacks. Against this background, some States are calling for sanctions against the Jewish state. Israel denies such accusations, focusing on the fight against terrorism in the person of Hamas.
The humanitarian disaster in Gaza
As the conflict in the Gaza Strip escalates, it is becoming increasingly difficult to deliver humanitarian aid to its residents, leading to a critical shortage of food and medicine. Russia also faced the problem of delivering food and basic necessities to the Palestinian territory.
— Since spring or even since winter, the planes of the Ministry of Emergency Situations have not flown there. Previously, each of them could carry 27 tons. Currently, Israel does not allow humanitarian aid to be imported into the Gaza Strip. The cargoes are in storage, and some perishable products are becoming unusable," said Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko.
One of the last reports about the delivery of Russian humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip appeared at the end of November 2024. By that time, Moscow had sent 32 shipments, which included food, basic necessities and technical rehabilitation equipment. In total, the Russian Federation has sent more than 800 tons of humanitarian aid to the residents of the exclave.
Since then, there have been repeated reports that Israel is blocking humanitarian aid supplies. In March 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "nothing will come to Gaza anymore — no food, no water, no aid."
In May, Israel and the United States established a humanitarian aid fund for Gaza. The authorities of the Jewish state said that this would be a "new and only way" for the delivery of humanitarian aid. However, residents of the exclave say that critically little food is supplied under the program, some of it does not reach the temporary camps. Unicef estimates that about 26,000 children in the exclave need treatment for the effects of malnutrition.
The Israeli operation launched on the night of September 16 to establish control over Gaza City has worsened the humanitarian situation in the exclave. By September 17, more than 20 human rights organizations had called on the international community to take action against Israel, describing the situation in the strip as an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe." The petition was signed by Save the Children, ActionAid International, Oxfam and Islamic Relief.
The Israeli offensive
The operation "Gideon's Chariot – 2" may last for several more months, then it will take a lot of time to clean up Gaza, said Efi Defrin, a representative of the Israel Defense Forces. According to him, the IDF has already occupied large areas in the city, which creates the prerequisites for moving deeper into the settlement. Defrin accused Hamas of creating "the largest human shield in the history of Gaza," as the group, according to him, prevents the evacuation of civilians. According to the Israeli side, about 350,000 people have already left Gaza, but about 700,000 more are in the city.
On the night of September 16, the IDF attacked more than 150 facilities in Gaza City. Benjamin Netanyahu said that the main goal of the operation is the complete destruction of Hamas and the release of the hostages being held. The Israeli military claims that only Hamas facilities were targeted, however, according to Al Jazeera, civilian facilities were also hit, including the large Ar-Rantisi pediatric hospital. It treats children with cancer, kidney, respiratory and digestive diseases, including newborns. After the September 16 attack, almost half of the patients had to interrupt treatment at the hospital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The channel also claims that more than 50 Palestinians have been killed since the morning of September 17. Earlier, Arab media reported that at least 60 more civilians were killed on the first day of the operation.
Israel's actions have already been condemned by many countries. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called for protection for local residents. Qatar's foreign ministry assessed the operation of the Jewish state as an "expansion of genocide against the fraternal Palestinian people." The Turkish presidential administration noted that "Israel's genocidal and occupation policy is becoming a threat to regional and global security."
The European Union is also developing a collective response. The European Commission has proposed to abolish the duty-free regime, which now applies to 37% of Israeli exports to the EU. The suspension of other preferences is also being discussed.
In addition, the EU is suspending financial support for Israel, said the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, support from the European Commission for 2025-27 will be suspended. Humanitarian projects and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Complex will be an exception.
However, the United States remains on Israel's side.
— America invariably extends a helping hand to its closest ally without making clear declarations, while a number of European countries, yesterday's friends of Israel, have turned 180 degrees in less than two years. America does not need European leaders to evaluate its policies. The United States, despite domestic and foreign political pressure, does not change its historical friendship with Israel and will continue to support it not in words, but in deeds," says Egor Toropov, an American scientist, candidate of political Sciences, and analyst at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
Commander of the Israeli Armed Forces Eyal Zamir (center) in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, the Israeli military announced the start of a large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
The US House of Representatives is considering a bill that will allow unlimited arms supplies to Israel, according to the portal Responsible Statecraft. According to the publication, we are talking about the mechanism of the War Reserve Stock for Allies-Israel — it is characterized by the least transparency, the Jewish state has repeatedly resorted to it since the beginning of the conflict with Hamas.
At the same time, Netanyahu announced that he plans to hold talks with Donald Trump at the White House in the near future. The meeting will be timed to coincide with the Israeli Prime Minister's visit to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly. A number of experts believe that Israel plans to achieve tangible results in the operation just before the week of high diplomacy in New York, at which some European countries, including Belgium, France and Luxembourg, may recognize the independence of Palestine.
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