Israel to permit very limited quantity of food into Gaza
Israel 'will permit the entry of a basic quantity of food for the population to prevent the emergence of a hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
It added that a famine 'could jeopardize the continuation of Operation Gideon's Chariot,' referring to a new phase of Israel's ground offensive in northern and southern Gaza.
The decision was based on 'a recommendation from the Israeli military and due to operational needs to enable expanded intensive fighting to defeat Hamas.'
Israel's public broadcaster KAN, citing an unnamed Israeli official, said the measure is temporary and expected to last roughly one week, pending the full establishment of aid distribution centers -- mostly in southern Gaza and reportedly supervised by the Israeli military and run by American contractors.
Israel and the US are promoting two aid distribution plans, amid Israeli acknowledgment that their actual goal is to depopulate northern Gaza by turning the southern city of Rafah into the primary hub for humanitarian relief and drawing aid seekers there.
Earlier Sunday, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth daily cited unnamed official sources saying that Netanyahu had informed members of the security cabinet of his decision to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The report said several ministers, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, opposed the move and demanded a vote on the decision -- a request that Netanyahu reportedly rejected.
The forthcoming move contradicts Netanyahu's previous statements, where he claimed that the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander by Hamas last Monday as part of an agreement with the US was unconditional. However, Hamas said the release was part of broader 'understandings' that included aid delivery, as they had previously announced.
On Thursday, Hamas warned that failure to implement the agreements with the US regarding aid entry and a ceasefire will negatively impact 'any efforts to complete negotiations on the prisoner exchange process.'
In a statement, the group emphasized its commitment to alleviating the suffering of Palestinians by ending the Israeli aggression and opening border crossings for humanitarian aid. The group said the positive step of releasing Alexander was a reflection of this.
'We expect, based on the understandings reached with the American side, and with the knowledge of the mediators, that humanitarian aid will begin entering the Gaza Strip immediately, a call will be made for a permanent ceasefire, and comprehensive negotiations will be held on all issues to achieve security and stability in the region, which is what we look forward to achieving,' the statement added.
Indirect negotiations are currently underway in the Qatari capital Doha between Hamas and Israel, aiming to end the genocide and finalize a prisoner exchange agreement.
Gaza continues to face severe famine conditions, driven by a deliberate starvation policy enforced by Israel through months-long border closures and restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Israel has kept all crossings into Gaza closed to food, medical and humanitarian aid since March 2, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to government, human rights and international reports.
Nearly 2.4 million people in the enclave live completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data.
The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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