Middle East: UN labels Gaza 'the hungriest place on Earth'

US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is "very close."

"We'll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow. And we have a chance of that," Trump said during a press conference in the Oval Office.

The US has been trying to reach a deal and bring the hostilities to a halt, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff being sent to bridge the gaps between the two sides. 

While Israel said it had accepted the plan offered by Witkoff, the US is still awaiting an official response from Hamas over the deal, which would secure a 60-day ceasefire and the release of several Israeli hostages held by the militant group.

Hamas said on Thursday it was studying the proposal.

Trump also said he believes the US is close to a deal with Iran on its nuclear program.

At least 27 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, local health officials said.

Israel's army said it struck what it called "terrorists, military sites, observation and sniper posts that pose a threat to the troops in the area."

Palestinian hospital sources said 20 people were injured by gunfire on their way to a distribution center for humanitarian aid run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Germany's dpa news agency reported.

They were shot by Israeli soldiers near al-Bureij, dpa said, although the agency noted they could not verify that information independently. Almost no international journalists have been allowed into the Gaza Strip since the conflict began. 

The Israeli military launched a major, new offensive on the enclave two weeks ago. The decision has drawn international criticism.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin will decide on whether the country should approve new weapons shipments to Israel based on a humanitarian assessment of the situation on the ground in Gaza.

"We are examining this and, if necessary, we will authorize further arms deliveries based on this examination," Wadephul told German daily, the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

According to Wadephul, Germany's "special responsibility" towards Israel is beyond debate and that the country should be able to defend itself against the threats it faces.

"On the other hand, of course, this does not mean that a government can do whatever it wants."

Wadephul's comments join Chancellor Friedrich Merz's criticism of Israel's operation in Gaza. Israel's operation in Gaza has also been widely criticized by other western countries of late, including the UK and France.

Middle East expert Rene Wildangel told DW that the new wave of criticism by German politicians on Israel's war in Gaza must be followed by action.

An arms embargo on Israel is "overdue" from Germany's perspective, Wildangel said.

"Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he does not understand [Israel's war] objectives anymore, then I would say he should listen to some of the Israeli leaders because they splell it out pretty clearly," the historian says, pointing out that the several Israeli officials have said their aim is "the permanent occupation and expulsion of Palestinians" from the Gaza Strip.

According to Wildangel, criticizing Israel is not enough.

"We're talking about a weapons banand we are also talking about trade relations with Israel," he says, adding that most human rights organizations and several genocide scholars describe Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide."

The comments come amid a growing chorus of criticism aimed at Israel over the humanitarian situation unfolding in Gaza.

This week, Germany said it remained committed to Israel and that its expectations regarding the aid situation had been expressed.

"We stand with Israel," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Wednesday in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News.

"We are close partners to Israel, not only with regard to our history. We are responsible for the security and the existence of Israel," he added when asked whether Germany was making a U-turn in its policy.

"This humanitarian situation for the Gazans is very dire and therefore it is our request on Israel to allow humanitarian aid to come to the Gaza Strip," the foreign minister said, adding that this expectation had been expressed "very clearly."

The UN has issued more dire warnings about the desperate situation unfolding in Gaza as attempts to get aid to Palestinians continue.

"Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth," said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, as quoted by the AFP news agency.

"It's the only defined area — a country or defined territory within a country — where you have the entire population at risk of famine. 100% of the population at risk of famine," Laerke said, rejecting claims by Israeli authorities that it wasn't the case.

While the aid blockade has been partially eased in recent days, of the 900 truckloads of authorized aid, only 600 had been offloaded on the Gazan side.

"This limited number of truckloads that are coming in... it's a trickle," Laerke said, describing it as "drip-feeding food."

The spokesman said the mission to deliver aid was "in an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations not only in the world today, but in recent history."

Tommaso Della Longa, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, also said that half of the organization's medical facilities in the area were out of action due to a lack of fuel or medical equipment.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the collective position on Israel could toughen if there were no improvements to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said during a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

"And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that sanctions against Israeli settlers may be up for consideration.

"But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response," the French leader said.

Macron reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry later hit back at Macron an accused him of a "crusade against the Jewish state."

It said "Israel is currently facilitating aid entry into Gaza through two parallel efforts," referring to both the UN and the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund.

A number of European countries have begun changing their tone on Israel's Gaza offensive in recent weeks. This added fuel to a debate here over whether Germany should continue to deliver arms to Israel. DW Political Correspondent Matthew Moore explains.

There are stark warnings from the United Nations after a spokesperson said the entire population of Gaza is at risk of famine.

The situation in terms of aid deliveries has been described as "drip-feeding food" as not all of the 900 authorised truckloads have been offloaded on the Gaza said.

Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron has cautioned that the collective stance on Israel may need to be toughened if a humanitarian response was not forthcoming in the coming hours or days.

You can read more here as developments unfold across the Middle East region.