International aid groups and Palestinians say the changes have only been incremental and are not enough to reverse what food experts say is a “ worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding in the war-ravaged territory.

The hunger crisis in Gaza has many asking if Israel had a deliberate policy of starving civilians. Israelis say that was never the case, but an ignorance of Palestinian suffering allowed an inconsistent government policy to lead to a calamity.

When Spain, Ireland and Norway announced in May 2024 that they would recognise a Palestinian state, Israel's closer allies dismissed the move as unhelpful to solving the crisis in Gaza.

The United Kingdom plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel commits to peace in the Gaza Strip and to stopping the annexation of the West Bank.

But by Thursday, Trump was back in a familiar role—not only defending Israel but explicitly linking his economic policies to continued support for it. “Wow!,” Trump posted on his social-media site, “Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss the disintegrating humanitarian situation in Gaza, as the U.S. imposed new sanctions on officials from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.