Israel eased some restrictions on food supplies to Gaza over the weekend amid growing global outrage over rising starvation in the territory.

The moves followed months of Israeli restrictions that helped spur widespread hunger, shocked the world, and heightened calls for Israel and Hamas to end their war in Gaza.

Though there have been food shortages in Gaza since Israel restricted aid supplies soon after the war began, the situation has never been as dire as it is now. The current crisis began in early March, when Israel cut off all food supplies to the enclave, saying without evidence that Hamas was systematically stealing it.

When Israel partly lifted the blockade in late May, it changed how most food is distributed. The new method, which largely relies on private contractors instead of the United Nations, requires Palestinians to walk for miles through extremely dangerous areas to reach the distribution sites, making it almost impossible for them to find food safely or cheaply.

Israel has rejected such criticism, saying that the United Nations is now welcome to deliver as much aid to Gaza as it wants. It has attributed the food shortages to the reluctance of the United Nations to do so. U.N. officials say that Israeli restrictions and combat operations make it hard to safely coordinate aid convoys.