GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — The United Nations (UN) said Wednesday it had “dispatched” around 90 trucks carrying aid into Gaza, as international pressure intensified over Israel’s renewed offensive and blockade of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

The first aid distribution in Gaza since early March came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was open to a “temporary ceasefire,” but reaffirmed the military aimed to bring the entire territory under its control. 

Three days after Israel announced it would allow in limited aid, the UN “collected around 90 truckloads of goods from the Kerem Shalom crossing and dispatched them into Gaza,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres.

The development came hours after Israeli troops fired what the military called “warning shots” near a delegation of foreign diplomats visiting the occupied West Bank, triggering global condemnation.

In Gaza, the Hamas government media office reported the arrival of 87 aid trucks, which it said were allocated to international and local organiZations to meet “urgent humanitarian needs.”

Netanyahu said it was necessary to “avoid a humanitarian crisis in order to preserve our freedom of operational action” in Gaza.

Palestinians have been scrambling for basic supplies after weeks of near-total isolation, with Israel’s blockade leading to critical food and medicine shortages.

Israel has meanwhile kept up its bombardment, with Gaza’s health ministry reporting Wednesday that the bodies of 82 people were taken to hospitals across the territory over the previous 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military said Thursday it had downed a missile fired from Yemen, from where Houthi rebels have regularly launched attacks they say are in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in central Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,” a military statement said.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said no one was hurt by the launch itself, while one man was hurt while seeking shelter.