Thousands of activists from around the world are expected to descend on Egypt on Thursday for a “Global March to Gaza,” a movement aiming to break the Israeli blockade that has pushed the territory to the brink of famine.

A planned march protesting aid restrictions on Gaza faced uncertainty Friday, as organizers in Cairo awaited Egyptian approval and Libyan authorities blocked a convoy of activists en route

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said Iran, its strategic ally, was "paying the price" for supporting militant groups in Gaza in their decades-long struggle against Israel, after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Friday against Iran.

Egypt has blocked activists taking part in a planned march to Gaza, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory before it could begin.

In Gaza, a U.S.-backed outfit that Israel has authorised to distribute food in the Palestinian enclave, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has bypassed the U.N.-led aid system and been accused by some critics of weaponising aid in service of Israel's war aims.

The United Nations said on Thursday that there was a full internet blackout in the Gaza Strip, likely due to military activity damaging the last cable into the enclave, that has paralyzed aid operations.

Internet and landline services were also cut off in the enclave after key telecommunications infrastructure was damaged, according to a Palestinian ministry.

The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and the opening of all Israeli border crossings for deliveries of desperately needed food and other aid.

Israel’s use of aid as a weapon of war has provoked outrage. It has prevented essential supplies from entering Gaza. And yet its new effort to distribute aid is also proving deeply controversial. Hamas says it is a front for the idf. International aid organisations have decried it. What is this new network and what is it trying to do?

Yair Yaakov was kidnapped by Islamic Jihad in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The other hostage will be named later, the Israeli military said.

Bianna Golodryga speaks with Olga Cherevko, Spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.