LONDON: Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza means a generation of Palestinian children are being denied a chance in life, the head of the UN’s World Food Program said on Thursday.

Israel imposed a full blockade on food and relief supplies from entering the territory on March 2, before breaking a ceasefire and resuming its devastating military operation a few weeks later.

Limited supplies were allowed back in late last month but nowhere near to the scale required, WFP Director Cindy McCain told Sky News.

“It’s very, very important that people realize that the only way to stave off malnutrition, catastrophic food insecurity and, of course, famine would be by complete and total access for organizations like mine,” she said.

“We’re looking at a generation of children that won’t have a chance in life because they haven’t had the proper nutrients. Right now, we’re looking at over 500,000 people within Gaza that are catastrophically food insecure.”

The resumption of limited aid supplies came after Israel built new distribution hubs in the territory run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a newly formed US organization.

Previously, the UN’s Palestinian refugees agency UNRWA and the WFP were in charge of distributing aid in the territory. But Israel has banned UNWRA from working in Gaza and has taken control of the aid system.

Scores of Palestinians have been shot dead this week as they attempted to access one of the new aid hubs in the south of the territory.

McCain said the new system was not allowing enough aid to get into Gaza to feed its malnourished population.

Speaking to “The World with Yalda Hakim,” she urged Israel to allow international aid to “get in at scale.”

“We need safe, unfettered, clear access all the way in and we're not getting that right now,” she said.

Her comments came as the GHF resumed its operations on Thursday after shutting down on Wednesday in response to the number of deaths near its hub.

McCain is the latest aid agency chief to deliver strongly worded condemnation of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where its military operation has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

On Wednesday, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric said Gaza had become “worse than hell on earth.”

LONDON: European leaders may recently have taken a tougher stance against Israel over the devastating Gaza war, but that is not reflected in their desire for Israeli weapons.

Israel’s arms exports increased by 13 percent in 2024 to a record $14.8 billion, an increase largely attributed to growing demand in Europe, according to Israel’s defense ministry figures released Wednesday.

Europe was the largest buyer, making up 54 percent of sales, a sharp increase from a 35 percent share in 2023.

Israel is among the top 10 largest arms exporters in the world and while it is dwarfed by the United States in terms of volume, its defense industry is one of the most technologically advanced.

European countries have increased defense spending to counter the threat from Russia and after pressure from the Trump administration to provide a greater contribution to the NATO alliance.

The figures show European demand has become a key new market for Israel, but there are signs that increasing opposition from countries like the UK, France, Germany and Italy to the Gaza war are affecting sales.

On Tuesday, Spain canceled a $325 million deal for anti-tank missile systems that were to be built by a subsidiary of an Israeli company. A government spokesperson said: “The goal is clear … a total disconnection from Israeli technology.”

Israel’s largest foreign defense deal was signed in September 2024 — to build an Arrow missile defense system for Germany at the cost of $4.3 billion. The system is expected to be delivered this year.

Yet even Germany, traditionally one of Israel’s closest allies, has started to condemn Israel’s Gaza operation, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying it “can no longer be justified.”

Israeli defense ministry officials are concerned that European countries may cancel further contracts or impose sanctions on Israeli defense companies, The Times of Israel reported.

Last month, the UK, France and Canada threatened “concrete actions” against Israel if it did not halt its military operation in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the territory.

The UK also paused negotiations on a free trade agreement with Israel.

The shift in stance from countries that were previously among Israel’s staunchest supporters came after Israel imposed a two-month blockade on food and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s desperate population and ramped up its military operation in the territory.

The killing of dozens of Palestinians congregating to access food aid from a controversial new distribution system has led to further rounds of strongly worded condemnation from European and global leaders.

The defense ministry export figures show that since the war started in October 2023, Israel has managed to continue growing its arms industry while at the same time carrying out operations in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria. 

The numbers show the next biggest market for arms exports was the Asia-Pacific region with 23 per cent of the purchases. Arab countries that normalized relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords made up 12 percent.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the all-time record in defense exports were the “direct result” of the military campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran.

“The world sees Israeli strength and seeks to be a partner to it,” Katz added.

The ministry said that nearly half the deals were for air defense systems, missiles, and rockets, an increase of 12 percent from 2023.

About 9 percent of the sales were for vehicles, while satellite and space systems, electronic warfare systems, and manned aircraft and avionics, amounted to 8 percent each.

More than half of the deals were worth more than $100 million each.

Europe’s governments have also faced pressure to cut back arms sales to Israel 

Israel’s military exports are dwarfed by the military aid it receives from the US, which was estimated at nearly $18 billion for the 12 months after the October 2023 Hamas-led attack.

During the attack, 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages seized. Israel’s resulting military operation in Gaza has killed more than 54,000 people, mostly women and children, and sparked a humanitarian disaster.