Netanyahu Authorizes Limited Gaza Aid, Smotrich Claims Hamas Will Get Nothing
Israel has resumed limited humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip after a two-and-a-half-month blockade, following mounting international pressure and military recommendations. The decision, announced Sunday night by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is aimed at preventing a starvation crisis that could derail the ongoing military offensive against Hamas, known as Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
“Israel will allow a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population in order to make certain that no starvation crisis develops,” Netanyahu said. He emphasized that Hamas must not be allowed to divert or control the distribution of supplies.
The move marks a shift in Israel’s approach after weeks of pushback from key coalition members. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who previously threatened to leave the government over aid shipments, defended the renewed assistance as tightly controlled and essential for maintaining global support. “No aid will reach Hamas. Period. Anyone who says otherwise is simply lying,” Smotrich declared in a televised statement. “It will allow civilians to eat, our friends around the world to continue providing us with an international protection umbrella…and for us to keep fighting, God willing, until victory.”
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Smotrich, along with the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has remained a vocal critic of humanitarian assistance. Ben-Gvir wrote online, “Our hostages have no humanitarian aid!” and warned that all incoming aid would “fuel Hamas.” Still, Netanyahu insisted the decision was based on recommendations from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, which noted that stocks from the UN and other groups had been depleted.
Aid will initially flow through existing UN and NGO channels, including the UN World Food Programme and World Central Kitchen. At least 20 trucks, mostly carrying food, were expected to enter Gaza on Monday. A new US-backed system, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is scheduled to launch later this month. GHF, coordinated with American firms UG Solutions and Safe Reach Solutions, aims to bypass Hamas by delivering supplies to secure, IDF-supervised distribution sites in southern Gaza.
GHF Executive Director Jake Wood praised the move as “an important interim step,” adding, “We are building a secure, transparent system to deliver aid directly and effectively — without diversion or delay.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog endorsed the decision, describing it as a strategic and moral imperative. “This step is vital in order for Israel to maintain its military capabilities, to operate in accordance with international humanitarian law, and most importantly … to maintain our humanity within this tragedy,” he said at the World Jewish Congress.
Despite internal tensions, Netanyahu has maintained that resuming aid is essential to achieving Israel’s military objectives. The broader war goals now include the destruction of Hamas, the return of hostages, and potential population relocations as part of what Israeli leaders call “President Trump’s plan.” Smotrich affirmed that the IDF campaign had entered a new phase: “Not with intermittent raids, but capturing, cleaning out and retaining [areas] until Hamas is destroyed.”
