Netanyahu Pressed on Gaza Policy as Sanctions Loom
Israel’s closest allies are sounding the alarm—and they’re not whispering. In her latest dispatch for The Media Line, Keren Setton reports that Canada, France, and the UK are threatening sanctions unless Israel drastically boosts the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and puts the brakes on its military campaign against Hamas. After three months of a near-total blockade, just five UN aid trucks were allowed into Gaza on Monday—a move that left Western leaders unimpressed. Their joint statement called it “wholly inadequate.”
The small trickle of aid only came after heavy pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration. “We will not allow [a humanitarian crisis] to occur on President Trump’s watch,” said Steve Witkoff, the president’s Middle East envoy.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the food deliveries were meant to prevent a hunger crisis that could jeopardize Israel’s military operation. But with famine looming, allies are growing impatient—and not just behind closed doors. “This is a wake-up call,” said former Israeli diplomat Baruch Bina, who warned that while sanctions aren’t immediate, the threat is very real.
At home, Netanyahu is under fire from both directions. His supporters say he caved to international pressure; others argue it’s about time. Meanwhile, Hamas welcomed the foreign rebuke, calling it “a step in the right direction.”
Netanyahu isn’t backing down. “Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved,” he said.
As Setton reports, the battle over aid has become as political as it is humanitarian. For the full picture—and it’s a complicated one—read her full article at The Media Line.
