Two and a half months ago Israel decided to stop the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying it hoped the move would force Hamas to accept a ceasefire on Israel’s terms.
Over the past few weeks international pressure on Israel has mounted, including from Washington and friendly European Union states, to lift the blockade amid warnings of a famine.
On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the start of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, an escalation in the Gaza war, and it was clear that such an operation requires at least minimum international support.
The Israeli U-turn on humanitarian aid, bowing to international pressure, came at a security cabinet meeting on Sunday night. Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu prevented a vote to avoid dissent from far-right ministers and even members of his own Likud party.
One official estimated that the setting up of aid distribution centres in Gaza would be completed within a week. In the interim a small number of lorries will be allowed in each day bring emergency supplies such as medicine, baby formula and flour.
The prime minister’s office issued a statement saying that the delivery of humanitarian aid was renewed at the IDF’s recommendation to prevent the Palestinian public from starving and to allow the IDF to expand its fighting. The statement said Israel would act to deny Hamas any ability to control the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Israel has said the setting up of distribution centres, manned by a private US company, will help the IDF relocate local residents away from the areas of fighting as the military onslaught gathers pace.
Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke out against the move. “Any humanitarian aid that is allowed into Gaza will fuel Hamas and give it oxygen, while our hostages are languishing in the tunnels,” he said. “The prime minister is making a grave mistake, and he doesn’t even have a majority.”
In contrast, far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich defended the move as necessary under the circumstances, but stressed that only a small quantity of aid was being allowed in and would not reach Hamas.
Despite his comments, there is no mechanism in place to prevent Hamas militants seizing aid supplies that arrive in Gaza.
The right-wing Tikva Forum, which represents some of the hostages’ families, said it was “shocked” by the decision, which it described as a “gift to Hamas”. Another right-wing group, Tsav 9, threatened to mobilise activists to block aid lorries making their way to Gaza, as it has done in the past.
