Netanyahu resumes aid to Gaza, ending three-month blockade
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday night ordered the resumption of aid to the Gaza Strip, effectively ending a blockade imposed in March.
'On the recommendation of the IDF and based on the operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas, 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 in the Gaza Strip. Such a crisis would endanger the continuation of 'Operation Gideon's Chariots' to defeat Hamas,' he said, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
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'Israel will act to deny Hamas's ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that the assistance does not reach the Hamas terrorists,' the statement added.
The move comes as a new U.S.-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is set to begin operations in the Strip by the end of the month. The group aims to provide aid through a plan endorsed by Israel and supported by private American firms.
3 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the annual ceremony at the eve of Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers (Yom HaZikaron) at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
AP
The foundation has asked Israel to allow international aid groups to resume deliveries under current procedures until its infrastructure is in place. No humanitarian assistance has entered Gaza since March 2.
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GHF executive director Jake Wood praised the decision, calling it an 'important interim step' and confirming it honors prior commitments made to the foundation. He emphasized the urgency of immediate delivery and expressed gratitude for the Trump administration's support.
'Through the GHF, we are building a secure, transparent system to deliver aid directly and effectively—without diversion or delay and in strict adherence to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence,' he added.
Israel supports what it calls 'the American humanitarian plan,' which U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee outlined at the American embassy in Jerusalem on May 9. It sidelines international bodies such as the United Nations in favor of private-sector-led aid distribution, with the stated goal of ensuring better oversight and security.
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3 Displaced Palestinians gather to collect portions of cooked food at a charity distribution in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 19, 2025.
AFP via Getty Images
Under the plan, aid will be delivered to a limited number of 'secure distribution sites' in southern Gaza, managed and protected in coordination with the Israeli military. Once in place, humanitarian supplies will be handed over to aid groups for civilian distribution.
GHF is coordinating with two American firms—UG Solutions, a security company, and Safe Reach Solutions, which specializes in logistics—to implement the operation.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reaffirmed support for the American plan on Wednesday, calling it a 'responsible approach to ensuring aid reaches civilians without strengthening Hamas.'
However, the announcement triggered backlash from within Netanyahu's coalition and from hostage families.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir denounced the move in a social media post, writing: 'Mr. Prime Minister, our hostages have no humanitarian aid!' He also warned in a statement that 'any humanitarian aid that enters the Strip, certainly all of it, will fuel Hamas and give it oxygen.'
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote: 'Every truck that reaches Hamas in Gaza prolongs the war, strengthens Hamas, and endangers our fighters.'
Likud Knesset member Moshe Saada called the move 'a wrong and immoral decision.'
Likud MK Avichai Boaron added: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We must not allow Hamas to profit from food.'
Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu said that 'this is a direct blow to the war effort for victory.'
Likud MK Tally Gotliv charged: 'There is no starvation in Gaza. Even close to it. I watch Gaza Telegram all the time. There is no hunger!' She also wrote: 'Our enemies mock you and us. This is a slap in all our faces.'
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3 Trucks carrying aid wait in front of the Rafah border crossing on March 2, 2025 in Rafah, Egypt.
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'The person behind the delusional decision to send humanitarian aid to Gaza is Gideon Sa'ar. Foreign Minister Sa'ar demanded that the prime minister immediately decide on sending humanitarian aid because in Europe, decisions are about to be made against Israel this week,' Gotliv told JNS on Monday.
'Too many do not understand that decisions against us will be made in any case. It would be better for Sa'ar to distribute the videos of the Oct. 7 inferno alongside videos from Telegram showing Gaza is not hungry,' Gotliv said.
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The Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages, representing some of the families of Israelis held in Gaza, condemned the decision as a 'gift to Hamas,' warning it undermines the sacrifices of IDF soldiers and betrays nearly 600 days of suffering.
'If a grain of supply enters the enemy, it is not only a betrayal of the hostages, but a knife in the back of the soldiers,' the group stated.
The Soldiers' Mothers organization said in a letter to Netanyahu: 'This decision endangers the lives of our sons and stands in direct contradiction to your promise of total victory and elimination of Hamas.'
'From the beginning of the war, we said that in order to complete the victory, there was one necessary condition—we must not reach a state of starvation in Gaza. They will not support us if we reach that point,' Netanyahu responded. 'We will take control of all the territories of the Gaza Strip. There is tremendous, intense fighting there. Our fighters are doing a great job there, including this morning—I can't go into details.'
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Meanwhile, Israel announced on Sunday that it is exploring a broader framework for ending the war in Gaza—one that includes the release of all hostages, expulsion of Hamas terrorists and disarmament of the coastal enclave.
The Israeli negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, is actively working to exhaust every opportunity to reach an agreement, the Prime Minister's Office said.
The renewed diplomatic efforts coincide with the launch of 'Operation Gideon's Chariots,' the next stage in the IDF's campaign to destroy Hamas's governing and military capabilities in Gaza.
According to the IDF, troops have carried out coordinated attacks on Hamas infrastructure in Jabalia, Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood and Rafah—areas considered key to the terror group's operations.
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