Israel’s Netanyahu acknowledges pressure from allies in decision to resume Gaza aid
TEL AVIV Israel AP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on Monday that his decision to resume aid to Gaza after a weekslong blockade came after pressure from allies who commented they would not be able to grant Israel the sponsorship it necessities to win the war so long as there were images of hunger coming out of the Palestinian territory Israel has faced condemnation from the U N aid groups and selected European allies for its blockade of goods into the war-ravaged territory including food fuel and medicine On Sunday it mentioned it would allow a basic amount of aid into Gaza to prevent a hunger problem from progressing Food experts have already warned that the blockade risked sparking famine in Gaza a territory of roughly million people Under the Trump administration the United States Israel s top ally has mostly avoided criticizing Israel s measures in its war against Hamas and blames the militant group for the humanitarian situation But it has increasingly highlighted the predicament in Gaza President Donald Trump on his latest 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 announced on a visit to Turkey that he was troubled by it The decision to let in aid comes as Israel measures 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 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 disclosed Monday that the plan would include taking control of all of Gaza and a military spokesperson ordered the evacuation of Gaza s second-largest city Khan Younis Netanyahu warns of a red line on Gaza In a video comment posted to social media Netanyahu stated that Israel s allies had voiced concern about images of hunger Israel s greatest friends in the world he announced including senators but without mentioning specific nationalities had declared there is one thing we cannot stand We cannot accept images of hunger mass hunger We cannot stand that We will not be able to assistance you Netanyahu reported the situation was approaching a red line and a dangerous point but it was not clear if he was referring to the problem in Gaza or the likely loss of encouragement from allies Therefore to achieve accomplishment we need to somehow solve the challenge Netanyahu announced The video comment appeared aimed at pacifying anger from Netanyahu s nationalist base at the decision to resume aid Netanyahu has been under pressure from two far-right governing partners not to send aid back into Gaza At least one of them declared Monday he was begrudgingly on board with the decision The aid that would be let in would be minimal Netanyahu commented without specifying precisely when it would resume and would act as bridge toward the beginning of a new approach to aid delivery in Gaza which will see a U S -backed organization distribute aid in organized hubs in Gaza that will be secured by the Israeli military Trucks wait along boundary to enter Gaza Israel says the plan is meant to prevent Hamas from accessing aid which Israel says it uses to bolster its rule in Gaza Aid groups say the mechanism is not practical that it will not reach the the majority vulnerable Palestinians and say they won t participate because it doesn t align with their humanitarian principles A U N official revealed a shipment of aid trucks carrying mostly food is expected to enter on Monday The official was not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity Israeli bureaucrats have not commented on when the aid would begin entering An Associated Press photographer saw at least three trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Israeli side of a passing with Gaza Palestinians say an Israeli undercover raid has killed a militant As the aid waited to enter the territory again fighting continued to rage there including an early morning raid in the southern city of Khan Younis by what Palestinian residents noted was an undercover Israeli force disguised as displaced Palestinians The force killed Ahmed Sarhan a leader of the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees in a shootout the group disclosed and detained his wife and child according to Palestinian observers The forces drove in on a civilian motorcycle and carried out the raid under heavy aircover killing at least six people including Sarhan according to Nasser Hospital They carried what appeared to be luggage and blankets on top of their white wagon The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the apparent raid Magdy disclosed from Cairo and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah Gaza Strip Follow AP s war coverage at https apnews com hub israel-hamas-war Source
