COGAT Approves Red Cross Field Hospital Expansion; Gaza Aid Far Below Required Levels

Israel's COGAT military coordination body on May 2, 2026 approved a project to expand the International Committee of the Red Cross's field hospital in Gaza, allowing medical equipment and additional capabilities to be delivered via dozens of trucks. The approval came one day after the first delivery of Red Cross field hospital medical equipment was confirmed on May 1. Despite the hospital project, the broader humanitarian situation in Gaza remained critical: aid trucks entering Gaza stood at approximately 200 per day, far below the ceasefire-required 600. Anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv simultaneously demonstrated against the Netanyahu government's management of the war and reconstruction, with former minister Orna Barbivai calling it 'a government of debacle and disaster.' The 2026 Flash Appeal remains only 9.7% funded ($400M of $4.1B). WFP is delivering full rations to over 1 million people monthly via 45 community kitchens, but 77% of Gaza's population still faces acute food insecurity. UNRWA remains blocked from direct aid delivery since March 2025 under Israeli legislation. Tomato prices in Gaza tripled in April 2026 as food supply chains collapsed.