T he announcement was an admission of failure. On July 26th the Israel Defence Forces ( IDF) said that it would parachute food into Gaza and implement daily “humanitarian pauses” in parts of the still depopulated areas of the devastated strip, allowing international aid organisations to bring in convoys.

A visit by two top Washington envoys to Gazan food distribution sites was set to draw fresh attention to mass starvation in the strip.

For decades, Israel has calculated precisely how much food Gaza’s population needs to survive without starving.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday in a bid to salvage Gaza ceasefire talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine was unfolding.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to arrive in Israel in a bid to salvage Gaza ceasefire talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine was unfolding.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy has arrived in Israel to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.