More malnutrition deaths reported in Gaza, as BBC travels on aid drop flight from Jordan
Summary
Another 14 people have died of malnutrition in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry says
The deaths were announced as Israel pauses military operations in parts of Gaza for 10 hours per day to allow more aid access
Israel is also allowing some aid to be dropped by air - but the BBC's Jeremy Bowen, reporting from a Jordanian plane, says the supplies won't make much difference on the ground
Earlier, the UN aid chief Tom Fletcher told the BBC the next few days are "make or break", with the military pauses expected to last "a week or so"
Israel restricts entry of BBC and other international journalists into Gaza, making it difficult to verify the situation on the ground
The general view is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to reverse his own policies given growing international outrage over images of emaciated children and reports of Palestinians starving to death.
Israel, however, has consistently denied there is hunger in Gaza, despite the overwhelming evidence, and rejected accusations of being responsible for the crisis there.
Netanyahu has often been accused of prolonging the war for political gains, including to keep alive his governing coalition, which relies on the support of ultranationalist parties.
The announcement of military pauses for aid distribution and humanitarian corridors came as the Knesset, Israel's parliament, went on a summer recess, which means that Netanyahu’s government seems to be safe, for now.
His more hard line supporters, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, had in the past threatened to quit the coalition if more aid was sent to Gaza.
In fact, they publicly oppose any aid to the population there, have defended the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and its resettlement with Jews.
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