logo
episode-header-image
May 2025
15 m

The difficulties of getting aid into Gaz...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

After cutting off the supply of aid to Gaza for more than two months, Israeli officials have allowed some trucks to enter. But despite over a hundred aid trucks carrying essential products like flour and baby food into Gaza, the United Nations says it’s only a “drop in the ocean”. There have also been significant delays to distributing the aid, lasting days in some cases.

The UN estimates that one in five Gazans face starvation and that an average of 600 trucks a day are needed to start tackling the humanitarian crisis there.

From Jerusalem, the BBC’s Middle East Correspondent Yolande Knell explains why Israel has started to allow aid into Gaza and how much has got through so far. We hear what it’s like in Gaza right now and aid workers from Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Committee of the Red Cross tell us about the challenges they are facing when distributing aid to Palestinians on the ground.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Chelsea Coates and Emily Horler Editor: Verity Wilde

Up next
Yesterday
Why are more couples signing prenups before marriage?
For better for worse, for richer for poorer…but first, can we sign a prenup? You might have heard about them in relation to celebrity divorce scandals, or even in songs, but recent data suggests prenups aren’t just for the rich and famous anymore. A prenup is a legal arrangement ... Show More
10m 23s
Apr 20
People in Cuba are living in the dark
For more than three months, Cuba has been struggling under an oil blockade by the United States. It had been getting a lot of its oil from Venezuela, but President Trump put a stop to that.People in Cuba have been living with all kinds of shortages for decades - food, medicine an ... Show More
10m 48s
Apr 17
Pope Leo‘s mini African tour
The Pope is on an 11 day trip around 4 African countries - Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. This isn’t the only reason why the Pope is in the news though, there’s also been some drama with President Trump, where they clashed over the war in Iran. A major message f ... Show More
11m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
The Struggle to Get Aid Into Gaza
An Israeli-backed system meant to deliver aid and food into Gaza launched last week to scenes of chaos and violence. WSJ's Anat Peled breaks down the new system, and explains why getting aid to the region is difficult and dangerous. Jessica Mendoza hosts. Further Listening: - A F ... Show More
22m 26s
Jun 2025
What's going wrong with aid in Gaza?
Tuesday morning brought another shooting near a food distribution site in Gaza — the third in as many days. This time, more than two dozen people were killed as they tried to collect emergency food aid, according to Gaza health officials and the International Committee of the Red ... Show More
8m 38s
Nov 2023
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
As Israel says its troops have entered Gaza City, the humanitarian crisis is stark. Bakeries in North Gaza are closed, according to the UN, and hospitals are nearly out of fuel, says the Palestinian Red Crescent. The UN Secretary-General today called for an unconditional release ... Show More
58m 56s
Mar 2025
Gaza Humanitarian Crisis Intensifies
As peace talks drag on, the crisis in Gaza gets worse and worse. It's now two weeks since Israel shut off electricity, food, fuel and medical supplies, in a bid to pressure Hamas to accept an extension of the preliminary ceasefire. Gavin Kelleher is the humanitarian access manage ... Show More
56m 10s
Jul 2025
How Seeking Food in Gaza Has Become So Deadly
<p>The suffering in Gaza has reached new depths, and now finding food, which was already scarce, has become a deadly endeavor.</p><p>Israeli forces have opened fire on crowds of desperate and hungry people who were trying to reach aid sites established by a new and controversial ... Show More
32m 21s