Natanyahu says allies pressured him to allow ‘basic’ aid into Gaza
Global News
In a video statement posted to social media, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s allies had voiced concern about “images of hunger.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that his decision to resume limited aid to Gaza after a weekslong blockade came after pressure from allies who said they wouldn’t be able to grant Israel the support it needs to win the war so long as there were “images of hunger” coming out of the Palestinian territory.
Israel has faced condemnation from the United Nations, aid groups and some European allies for its blockade of goods into the war-ravaged territory, including food, fuel and medicine.
On Sunday it said it would allow a “basic” amount of aid into Gaza to prevent a “hunger crisis” from developing. Food experts have already warned that the blockade risked sparking famine in Gaza, a territory of roughly two million people.
The decision to let in aid comes as Israel steps up its offensive in the Gaza Strip in what it says is a bid to pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal on Israel’s terms. On Monday, a military spokesperson ordered the evacuation of Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis, where Israel carried out a massive operation earlier in the conflict that left much of the area in ruins.
Under the newly launched air and ground offensive, Israel plans to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and secure aid distribution inside the territory.
Netanyahu said Monday that the plan would include “taking control of all of Gaza.”
Under the Trump administration, the United States — Israel’s top ally — has mostly avoided criticizing Israel’s steps in its campaign against Hamas, and blames the militant group for the humanitarian crisis.
But it has increasingly highlighted the plight of civilians in Gaza. President Donald Trump on his recent trip to the Middle East — a visit where he did not stop in Israel — voiced concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as did his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said on a visit to Turkey that he was “troubled” by it.
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