SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The United Nations says it has no more food to deliver to Palestinians in Gaza.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Yelling in non-English language).
SIMON: Its food stocks have run out.
(SOUNDBITE OF DISHES BANGING)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Yelling in non-English language).
SIMON: And that is the sound of Palestinians this week pushing their way through a line at a food kitchen that's run by the U.N. in central Gaza. They are all hoping to get a plate of rice. Tomorrow, it will be eight weeks since Israel stopped all aid, including food, from entering the territory. Israel says the blockade is a tactic to try to force Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages who are still held in Gaza. NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi joins us from Tel Aviv. Hadeel, thanks so much for being with us.
BYLINE HADEEL AL-SHALCHI: Good morning, Scott.
SIMON: No aid since the beginning of March. What's the current situation like?
AL: Right. So the U.N.'s World Food Program announced yesterday that it has run out of food stocks that it supplies to charity kitchens that make meals for Palestinians. You know, about half of Gaza's population depends on these kitchens. Israel says it's blocked the aid because it wants Hamas to hand over more hostages, and it accuses Hamas of stealing the aid. But the U.N. says that very little is actually diverted, and humanitarian groups are calling the blockade a starvation tactic and potentially a war crime.
SIMON: And, Hadeel, what are you able to hear from Palestinians in Gaza? What are they eating?
AL: Yeah. So NPR's producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, went to one of these charity kitchens in central Gaza and spoke to Nadar Khatun (ph). He was in line to get that one plate of rice to feed his family of seven.
NADAR KHATUN: (Non-English language spoken).
AL: He says the situation is catastrophic. There's no food, clean water. And life is just impossible. You know, Anas himself has also told us he's been struggling to find food and the cash to buy it because, you know, some other aid groups still have food stocks, and there is still some food in the markets, but they're all quickly diminishing because no new goods are coming into Gaza. And the U.N. says the price of food in those markets has soared by as much as 1,400%.
SIMON: Israel is trying to use aid to pressure Hamas into a new deal and return the hostages. Any progress on that?
AL: I mean, short answer is not really. You know, what we do know is that this week, Israel said the head of Mossad met with Qatari officials in Doha, and Hamas said it sent a delegation to Cairo, and some talks with Egyptian mediators started today with them. But this is basically where we've been at for the past couple of months. You know, Hamas is still insisting on a full end to the war before releasing any more hostages. And Israel says it wants a short-term ceasefire that would see some more of the hostages released. And they said that they just won't stop until Hamas is completely defeated. And we know that the Trump administration has made it very clear that it backs Israel.
SIMON: And this week, a far-right Israeli cabinet member got a very warm reception here in the U.S. Tell us about his visit.
AL: That's right. So ultranationalist Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was in the U.S. this week. You know, during the Biden administration, ultranationalist politicians like Ben-Gvir were persona non gratas for things like their extremist racist views on Arabs. But while Ben-Gvir didn't meet with President Trump this week, he did attend an event at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. He said he met with senior Republican officials there. He didn't name them, though. And after the meeting, he said he has support for his position on Gaza, which includes bombing food aid depots there as a means to pressure Hamas to return the hostages. But it wasn't all warm. Anti-Gaza protesters - anti-Gaza war protesters threw bottles at him, and apparently, they didn't miss when he was leaving an event hosted by a Jewish group at Yale University.
SIMON: NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much for being with us.
AL: You're very welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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