Netanyahu acknowledges pressure from allies in decision to resume Gaza aid

Israel imposed the blockade starting March 2, cutting off all food, medicine and other supplies to Gaza, while pressing Hamas to accept new ceasefire terms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that his decision to resume aid to Gaza after a weekslong blockade came after pressure from allies.

In a video statement posted to social media, Netanyahu said that Israel's allies had voiced concern about images of hunger.

Israel's greatest friends in the world, he said without mentioning specific nationalities, had said 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 support you.

 

 Therefore to achieve victory, we need to somehow solve the problem, Netanyahu said.

The aid that would be let in would be minimal, he said without specifying precisely when it would resume.

 

 Israel on Sunday said it would resume aid deliveries into the war-battered territory after a complete halt on imports since early March. Israel has maintained that the blockade on goods including fuel, food and medicine was meant to ramp up pressure on the militant Hamas group in Gaza.

The weekslong halt on aid deepened and already dire humanitarian crisis and prompted warnings of famine from food experts.

That change in approach came as Israel launched a new offensive during which it plans to seize Gaza, displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and secure aid distribution inside the territory.

Israel says these are all ways to push Hamas toward agreeing to a ceasefire deal on Israel's terms. And while the sides continue to negotiate a potential truce, it is not clear how much progress has been made in bridging the remaining sticking points between the sides.