An Israeli military body says it has allowed five UN lorries carrying humanitarian aid, including baby food, into the Gaza Strip after 11 weeks of blockade.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his decision to let in a “minimal” amount of food for the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory followed pressure from allies in the US Senate.

“We must not reach a situation of famine, both from a practical and a diplomatic standpoint,” he stressed in a video in response to criticism of the move in Israel.

Netanyahu said food deliveries would continue only until the Israeli military and private companies had set up hubs to distribute aid under a US-backed plan that the UN has rejected.

He also declared Israeli forces would “take control of all areas” of Gaza as part of the expanded ground offensive against Hamas the Israeli military began on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes killed at least 40 people across the territory on Monday, according to first responders and hospitals.

One strike reportedly killed five people at a school being used as a shelter for displaced families in Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza.

The Israeli military said it struck “Hamas terrorists” who were operating inside a command-and-control centre in the area.

It also ordered the evacuation of the southern city of Khan Younis and its eastern suburbs, warning residents that it was about to launch an “unprecedented attack” there.

Israel stopped all deliveries of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to Gaza on 2 March and resumed its military offensive two weeks later, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

It said the steps were meant to put pressure on the armed group to release the hostages still held in Gaza.

The resumed Israeli bombardment and ground operation have reportedly killed more than 3,000 people and displaced 400,000 others, while the UN says the blockade has caused severe shortages of food, medicine and fuel.

Last week, the Hamas-run health ministry reported 57 children had died from the effects of malnutrition over the past 11 weeks, and an assessment by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned half a million people faced starvation.

The UN said Israel was obliged under international humanitarian law to ensure food and medical supplies for Gaza’s population. Israeli officials said there was no shortage of aid because thousands of lorry loads had gone into Gaza during the ceasefire. They accused Hamas of stealing supplies, which the group denied.

But after pressure from Israel’s allies increased, the Israeli prime minister’s office announced on Sunday night it would “allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops in the Gaza Strip”.

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