Dhaka, May 20 -- Israel has begun allowing limited shipments of food and medicine into the Gaza Strip after more than two and a half months of a total import ban on the enclave's two million Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision to ease the blockade came following pressure from unnamed allies, aiming to shore up support for Israel's latest major offensive against Hamas, reports AP.

United Nations agencies and humanitarian groups, which had run out of aid supplies weeks ago, welcomed the move. However, they stressed that the aid delivered so far falls far short of what's needed.

According to the UN, only five aid trucks have entered Gaza since Monday, in contrast to the roughly 600 trucks per day that...