Israel who allows food after pressure from allies, says PM

The Prime Minister of Israel has said that his decision to allow a “minimal” amount of food in Gaza after 11 weeks of blockade followed pressure from allies in the US Senate.

“We should not achieve a situation of famine, both from a practical and a diplomatic position,” Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized in a video in response to criticism of the move in Israel.

He said that food supplies would only continue until the military and American companies of Israel would have set up to distribute hubs to distribute help under the plan that the UN has rejected by the US.

Netanyahu also stated that Israeli troops “would take control of all areas of Gaza as part of the extensive ground offensive against Hamas that the Israeli army started on Sunday.

In the meantime, according to the first responders and hospitals on Monday, Israeli air strikes have killed at least 20 people on the territory on Monday.

The Israeli army said it had taken more than 160 goals in the past day.

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

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

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

The resumed Israeli bombing and ground surgery reportedly killed more than 3,000 people and 400,000 others displaced, and the UN says that the blockade has caused serious shortages of food, medicines and fuel.

Last week the Hamas -Runned Ministry of Health reported that 57 children had died of the effects of malnutrition in the past 11 weeks, and an assessment by the VN -supported integrated phase of the Food Safety phase (IPC) warned that half a million people – one in five Gazans – were confronted with hunger.

The UN said that according to international law, Israel was obliged to ensure food and medical supplies for the population of Gaza. But Israeli officials said repeatedly that there was no shortage of help because thousands of truck loads had gone into Gaza during the ceasefish and Hamas accused of stealing necessities.

But after the pressure of his allies had increased, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister announced on Sunday evening that “a basic amount of food would allow for the population to be sure that no hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip is developing”.

The most important members of the cabinet were strong against the move. Among them were the extreme right-wing Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who called it a “serious error” that would feed “Hamas and give the oxygen while our hostages are getting rid of tunnels”.

In a video posted on social media on Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu defended himself against the criticism.

“Since the start of the war, we said that to achieve the victory – to defeat Hamas and to free all our hostages, two missions that are interwoven with each other – there is one necessary condition: we should not achieve a situation of famine, both from a practical and a diplomatic position,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that he had blocked assistance through the UN and other humanitarian organizations due to looting by Hamas, and that he now pursued a “different method” in which American companies were distributed by spreading Hubs by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

However, he warned that a “red line” was now approaching and “our best friends in the world, (we) senators I know as passionate supporters of Israel” had expressed concern about an imminent famine.

“They come to me and say this:” We give you all the support to win … but there is one thing we can’t accept. We can’t handle any images of hunger. “

“And so, in order to win the victory, we have to solve this problem in one way or another. Until we determine those distribution points, and until we build a sterile area under IDF control for spreading food and medicines, we must offer a minimal, base bridge – just enough to prevent hunger,” he added.

The Israeli army radio reported that nine trucks that wear humanitarian aid, including baby food, would cross to Gaza on Monday, but there was no immediate confirmation of Cogat, the Israeli military body that controls crossings.

The UN office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCA) said that “the Israeli authorities had been approached to resume the delivery of limited tools, and we are now in a discussion about how this would take place, given the conditions on the spot”.

UN and other aid organizations have insisted that they will not collaborate with the Israeli-US plan to distribute help, and say that the fundamental humanitarian principles contradicted.

Netanyahu also said that Israeli troops are concerned with “mass fighting” in Gaza and made progress.

“We are going to take over control over all parts of the comic, we are going to do that,” he said.

He said that the “main goal” of the extensive offensive was to beat Hamas and that it would lead to the release of the 58 remaining hostages, of whom a maximum of 23 is supposed to live.

While negotiators remain in Qatar for Israel and Hamas, both parties say that there has been no breakthrough in a new round of indirect conversations about a deal with cease -the fires and hostages.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the cross -border attack of Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were held hostage.

Since then, at least 53,475 people have been killed in Gaza, including 3,340 since the Israeli offensive resumed, according to the health minister of the territory.