Israel has agreed to increase the flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in coming days as part of discussions with the European Union, Israeli and E.U. officials said on Thursday.
The European Union has pressured Israel in recent months to allow more food and other essential supplies to reach Palestinians in Gaza, where hunger is rampant and most are displaced by the devastating war that began almost two years ago.
A new aid distribution system, backed by Israel and the United States, began operations in late May after Israel blockaded all aid to Gaza for 80 days. The handouts have fallen far short of Gaza’s needs, and have been plagued by violence and chaos.
The decision to increase aid in the coming days was first announced by Kaja Kallas, the top E.U. diplomat, in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Kuala Lumpur.
“We have achieved an agreement on very concrete terms: how many trucks will get in, how many crossings will be opened, distribution points so that people would receive help, water distribution,” she said.
The European Commission, the E.U.’s executive branch, gave additional details at a news conference on Thursday in Brussels.
“Significant steps have been agreed by Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the commission. The decision was made through Israeli cabinet resolutions and a “constructive dialogue between the E.U. and Israel,” he added.
The goal is to ramp up aid in the coming days, Mr. El Anouni said, adding that the plan includes provisions to protect aid workers and repair vital infrastructure. He said Israel would allow the opening of additional crossing points into northern and southern Gaza, the reopening of humanitarian aid routes from Egypt and Jordan, and food distribution through bakeries and public kitchens.
Ms. Kallas told Bloomberg that there were already improvements, such as getting fuel to hospitals.
An Israeli official said there was no formal agreement with the European Union, but Israel decided independently to increase aid to Gaza during a cabinet meeting on Saturday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating civilian affairs with Gaza said on Monday that it had reopened an access route into the northern part of the territory following a government directive.
The Israeli official described the decision to increase aid as part of an ongoing dialogue between Israel and the European Union, and confirmed that Ms. Kallas’s account of expanding access routes for humanitarian operations was broadly accurate. The official said the decision had not been made in response to E.U. pressure.
A recent review by the European Union found that there are “indications that Israel would be in breach” of human right standards and its obligations under an E.U. treaty, citing issues including food and critical good restrictions on Gaza.
Aid has been a central sticking point in cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The two sides have been engaged in intensive discussions this week, through mediators, on a new U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal for Gaza, and on a framework for humanitarian aid.
Israel backed the creation of the new aid system, run by the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, saying a new approach was needed to prevent Hamas from commandeering, diverting and profiting from the humanitarian assistance.
But the United Nations and has said that the new system was woefully insufficient to meet the basic needs for the survival of Gaza’s more than 2 million people, after Israel’s total blockade brought the territory to the brink of famine.
Adding to the humanitarian crisis, accessing aid has become chaotic and dangerous.
The Israeli authorities have allowed hundreds of truckloads of U.N. aid to cross into Gaza since the blockade was lifted in May. But much of the aid has remained on the Gaza side of the crossings because of the lack of safe routes for distribution inside the territory.
Desperate crowds have been ransacking trucks carrying flour and other goods minutes after they enter the enclave.
Deadly violence has also erupted frequently around the approaches to the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites, which are mostly in southern Gaza. Witnesses have reported on a number of occasions that Israeli troops opened fire on the approaches to the aid hubs.
The Israeli military has said repeatedly that its forces have fired “warning shots” when people approached its forces in what it described as a threatening manner. The foundation denies that there has been any violence within its compounds.
Isabel Kershner and Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.
Natan Odenheimer is a Times reporter in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
Jeanna Smialek is the Brussels bureau chief for The Times.
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