Apparently, Israel has allowed 9 trucks of aid into Gaza. [1] For context before October 2023 500 trucks went in every day. And that was when Gazans had some ability to support themselves via agriculture and fishing. Much of the agriculture has been destroyed and I believe fishing is not possible due to the activities of Israeli gunboats. 9 trucks is zero. It is not even clear if these trucks have got any further than just over the border fence.
The transparent purpose of these 9 trucks is to generate a narrative that “the siege has been partly lifted.”. The EU duly obliges:
Whilst we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid, Israel blocked humanitarian aid entering Gaza for over two months. Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted. The population faces starvation. Gaza’s people must receive the aid they desperately need. [2]
The UN is even more upbeat:
UN life-saving aid allowed to trickle into Gaza as needs mount [3]
The Guardian reports:
Aid trucks trickle into Gaza while airstrikes continue – video report [4]
Nine trucks in absolute terms after a siege of 77 days when 500 trucks a day were needed. We can do the sum: 9/(77 x 500). My calculator produces an exponent the number is so small. In fact it is: 0.023% of what is needed.
The Israeli cabinet did not expect headlines praising them. But they have managed to turn “no aid / starving children” into a message about “limited aid / aid restart as airstrikes continue”. And they may not even have had to actually permit distribution of the aid from the 9 trucks to get these headlines. [5] A nice example of how easy it can be to control the narrative if you know how to do it.
Notes
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/19/israel-to-allow-limited-food-into-gaza-amid-intensified-military-offensive
- https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/joint-donor-statement-humanitarian-aid-gaza%C2%A0_en
- https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1163501
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2025/may/20/aid-trucks-trickle-into-gaza-while-airstrikes-continue-video-report
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpo8ba1ghlY