Humanitarian aid packages are dropped over war-torn Gaza as Israeli bombardment of Palestinian territory rages on

Humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza has been halted again as Israel continues its deadly campaign against the Palestinian territory.

A Spanish charity ship carrying food aid was expected to soon depart from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus to help alleviate suffering in the coastal Gaza Strip, now in its sixth month of war.

The non-governmental group Open Arms said its boat would carry 200 tonnes of food, which its partner, US charity World Central Kitchen, would then unload on the Gaza coast where it had built a base dock.

As famine looms in parts of besieged Gaza, US, Jordanian and other planes have also dropped food aid there, but UN agencies warn this falls far short of the needs of the 2.4 million people.

The war, started by the October 7 attack on Israel, has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where large parts have been reduced to a bombed wasteland, according to the Health Ministry.

Weeks of talks with American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have sought a six-week ceasefire and the release of many of the hundred or so hostages Hamas still holds in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, with no results so far.

The widely shared goal was to stop the fighting before the start of Ramadan, which is expected to start on Monday depending on the first sighting of the crescent moon.

Both sides have blamed each other for their failure so far to reach a ceasefire deal, after Israel demanded a full list of surviving hostages and Hamas called on Israel to withdraw all its troops from Gaza Pull.

The Israeli government accused Hamas of “consolidating its positions as someone who is not interested in a deal and aims to set the region on fire during Ramadan.”

US President Joe Biden reiterated on Saturday that Israel has “the right to continue pursuing Hamas” but also stressed his growing impatience with Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As civilian casualties have risen, Biden told broadcaster MSNBC that Netanyahu “must pay more attention to the innocent lives lost as a result of the actions taken.”

At this stage, Biden said, Netanyahu’s approach to the war was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel.”

The comments came after Israeli protesters once again took to the streets of Tel Aviv amid growing anti-government demonstrations, joined by some desperate families and friends of the remaining prisoners.

Biden also indicated he would be willing to speak directly to the Israeli people through an address to the Knesset legislature, but without revealing further plans or details.

The war began when Hamas launched their unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in approximately 1,160 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures.

The militants also took 250 hostages, dozens of whom were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November. Israel believes 99 hostages are still alive and 31 have died.

Israel’s devastating bombing and ground offensive have killed 31,045 people, mostly women and children, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday.

At least 23 children are also said to have died from malnutrition and dehydration.

In Gaza, displaced Palestinians lined up for a truck with scarce drinking water, which they filled into jerry cans and plastic containers.

“Now we can hardly get water on normal days, so what about the coming Ramadan?” said a woman, Nesreen Abu Yussef.

“In the camp we have sick children who need sugar and protein, our children get dizzy,” she said. “I swear, we haven’t seen a single egg or meat in the last five months.”

Fighting and bombings once again roiled Gaza, where 81 bodies arrived overnight at barely functioning hospitals, according to the Health Ministry.

The Israeli army said its forces had killed 13 militants in airstrikes and with tank and sniper fire in central Gaza over the past day.

Troops were also involved in “close combat” in the southern town of Khan Yunis, where attacks killed 17 militants.

The military has reported that 248 of its troops have been killed in Gaza, where it claims to have killed more than 10,000 militants.

Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel is preparing for “all possible operational scenarios” during Ramadan.

“Shortly before Ramadan, Hamas is preventing a deal and acting against the mediators’ claims,” he said.

The military previously dropped leaflets with images of Hamas leaders enjoying a lavish meal and Palestinians with nearly empty plates.

One Gaza man, Attallah al-Satel, told AFP: ‘What is the purpose of this leaflet? We want a solution, to stop the war. We are just exhausted citizens.”

Qatar-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh called for rapid distribution of aid and the full opening of border crossings “to end the siege of our people.”

Biden announced last Thursday that the US military would build a temporary pier on the Gaza coast to facilitate larger aid shipments by sea, but the Pentagon warned that would take about 60 days.

The US Central Command said a ship left Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia on Saturday with “initial equipment to construct a temporary pier” to receive aid off the coast of Gaza.

Mirjana Spoljaric, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, again called for a ceasefire and called on both sides to respect international law and protect civilians.

“It is the line between humanity and barbarism,” she said, adding that the situation was degenerating “by the hour” into a war that had “severed any sense of shared humanity.”