The European Union and Israel have reached a deal to expand humanitarian aid entering Gaza, the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas announced Thursday. “This deal means more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers. We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed,” Kallas said. The measures will be implemented in the coming days, making sure that aid is delivered directly to the local population and that there is no aid diverted to militant group Hamas, Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said at a media briefing. The measures Israel and the EU agreed upon include an increase of daily trucks for food, fuel and other items entering Gaza, the opening of several other crossing points in both the northern and southern areas, the reopening of the Jordanian and Egyptian aid routes, as well as the distribution of food supplies through bakeries and public kitchens throughout the Gaza Strip. Israel blocked all food deliveries by international aid agencies to Gaza for 11 weeks — arguing that they were being seized and sold by Hamas militants — as it continued its military assault in the coastal enclave. After it relaxed its blockade of the enclave, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GFH) — a controversial food aid organization backed by the U.S. and Israel — began operations in the area. GFH has drawn criticism amid reports of Palestinian civilians being shot as they tried to access aid, with 170 NGOs recently urging its closure. The EU said GFH is “not part” of the new deal.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is raising the alarm over a rapidly escalating bird flu crisis as the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus spreads from poultry to mammals, fueling concerns over food security and a potential human spillover. The virus, first identified in 1996 in China, has forced mass culls worldwide, with Europe losing 47.7 million farmed birds in the 2021-22 epidemic and the U.S. culling at least 166 million since the latest outbreak began. The fallout has sent egg prices soaring in the U.S. FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi on Monday described the situation as unprecedented, leading to “serious impacts” on food production, rural jobs, local economies and prices for consumers. The virus isn’t stopping at poultry barns. H5N1 has also surfaced in wild and domestic mammals, including zoo animals, pets and dairy cattle. While human infections remain rare, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have identified genetic markers that could increase the virus’s ability to adapt to mammals — including humans. However, there is no confirmed evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission. FAO officials are urging governments to ramp up surveillance, strengthen biosecurity and bolster outbreak response. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol said, emphasizing the need for coordinated global action to curb the virus’s spread and prevent further disruptions to food systems. While wild birds play a key role in transmission, evidence also points to high-density poultry farming as a factor that can accelerate outbreaks when biosecurity measures fail. Large farms, where thousands of birds are housed close together, create ideal conditions for the virus to spread and mutate. For now, public health officials insist the risk remains low. But scientists warn that the virus’s spread in mammals gives it more chances to evolve, increasing its potential to infect humans.