IDF says it will conduct aid airdrops in Gaza as hunger crisis deepens

The Israel Defense Forces announced changes Saturday in humanitarian aid procedures in Gaza amid ongoing international pressure as the malnutrition crisis worsens.

The IDF said in a statement that it was taking several actions, including dropping "seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food" at the behest of the Israeli government to "refute the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip."

In addition to the airdrops, the IDF said it would create a "humanitarian pause in civilian centers and in humanitarian corridors" Sunday morning to allow for the passage of aid. The hours and locations of this short "pause" have not yet been announced publicly.

The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said on Saturday that 127 Palestinians have died from malnutrition since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, 85 of whom were children. Five Palestinians died from malnutrition in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health.

Several humanitarian groups have pushed for help and more assistance in the region in the last week, as they say aid workers on the ground are running out of supplies and need help. Repeated deadly shootings around aid distribution centers have killed hundreds, according to the United Nations.

A volunteer with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, told ABC News there are only four stabilization centers for malnutrition in Gaza, and the admission capacity is severely limited due to the overcrowding of facilities.

On Thursday, MSF said 25% of children and pregnant or breastfeeding women screened at clinics in Gaza are malnourished, and cases of severe malnutrition in children under the age of 5 have tripled in just two weeks.

The Israeli government has denied that it is limiting the amount of aid entering Gaza and has claimed Hamas steals aid meant for civilians. Hamas has denied these claims.

Electricity will be provided to a desalination plant, increasing the amount of water available tenfold, according to the IDF.

"The IDF is prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas and will continue to operate to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and eliminate terrorists in the areas of activity," the IDF said in a statement.

The IDF reiterated claims from the Israeli government that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip and it is merely "a false campaign promoted by Hamas."

"Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations," the IDF said in a statement.

Earlier this week, 115 humanitarian groups described in a joint statement the dire food shortage in Gaza as "mass starvation," and accused the Israeli government of implementing "restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege [that] have created chaos, starvation, and death."

The ongoing Gaza war erupted after Hamas led a surprise terror attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people there and taking 251 others hostage, according to figures from the Israeli government. Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 59,000 people in Gaza, according to data released by the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

ABC News' Mary Kekatos, Somayeh Malekian, Nasser Atta, Diaa Ostaz, and Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report.