T he announcement was an admission of failure. On July 26th the Israel Defence Forces ( IDF) said that it would parachute food into Gaza and implement daily “humanitarian pauses” in parts of the still depopulated areas of the devastated strip, allowing international aid organisations to bring in convoys.

One in three people are going without food for days, the U.N. said, as global outrage grows over Israel’s restrictions on aid to Gaza.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said Gaza has teetered on the brink of famine for two years, but recent developments have “dramatically worsened.”