2 Deadly Shootings in 2 Days Highlight Dangers of Aid Distribution in Gaza
In an incident on Saturday, Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians moving chaotically toward food distribution sites run by Israel-backed private contractors in Israeli-controlled areas. In another incident on Sunday, Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians rushing to seize aid from a convoy of food trucks sent by the United Nations toward areas controlled by Hamas.
Supporters of the Israel-backed system used the episode on Sunday to highlight the failures of the U.N.-led system. Those favoring the U.N. system said the killings on Saturday illustrated the failures of Israel's approach.
Israel says it is necessary to put food distribution sites in areas beyond Hamas's control in order to make it harder for both fighters from the militant group and civilian looters to steal supplies. Critics of that approach say it forces hungry civilians to cross Israeli military lines, putting them at greater risk.
Three broader dynamics highlight the problems associated with both approaches.
In both incidents over the weekend, the Israeli military used live fire to contain unrest, instead of using nonlethal forms of crowd control.
Civilians are also ready to risk death by Israeli gunfire to avoid death by starvation in Gaza, where food is scarce following Israel's 80-day blockade between March and May.
In addition, after 22 months of war, there is no functional governing system in most of Gaza, with Hamas no longer providing social services or law enforcement in most of the territory.
Israel has decapitated Hamas's leadership, demolished many government buildings and controls the majority of the land. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has repeatedly decided against creating a system of transitional governance — whether through formal military occupation or the empowerment of Palestinian alternatives to Hamas.
'There's a blame game and everyone is looking at the technical details and about how the aid is distributed,' said Shira Efron, an expert on aid systems in Gaza at Israel Policy Forum, a New York-based research group.
'But the bigger issue is the lawlessness and the breakdown of governance,' she added. 'After 22 months of war, it's anarchy in Gaza. And without addressing the core issue of what should happen next in Gaza, there won't be a solution.'
Responding to such criticism, Mr. Netanyahu has said that Hamas must be completely defeated before detailed postwar plans can begin. But his critics, including many in Israel, say that it is harder to defeat Hamas without planning for its replacement.
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The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
Redefining strategic victory: How Israel ends the war without losing America
After extraordinary tactical successes against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian ballistic missile and nuclear targets, Israel faces its most underestimated and enduring adversary in Hamas. Despite the physical devastation in Gaza, Hamas still holds living hostages — and with them, the leverage to shape Israel's international standing and internal politics. Former allies, including the UK and France, have shifted their posture so dramatically that they now offer statehood as a reward for terrorism. These governments no longer condition recognition of a Palestinian state on even minimal reforms — such as Hamas disarming, its leaders going into exile, or the Palestinian Authority halting its educational incitement of violence and delegitimization of Israel in schools and state-run media. The moral asymmetry is stark: Hamas's use of human shields, its indiscriminate targeting of Israeli civilians, and its genocidal charter are routinely ignored by international actors who once claimed to stand against terrorism. As a Jerusalem Post editorial recently noted, 'According to UN data, from May 19 to July 29 of this year, 87 percent of its 2,010 food trucks in Gaza (85 percent by tonnage) were 'intercepted' — either peacefully by crowds or forcefully by armed actors. That means only 13 percent of the food meant for hungry Gazans arrived at the proper address.' Yes, Israel shares some responsibility for Gaza's dire humanitarian crisis. But the world's insistence on blaming only Israel — while ignoring Hamas's deliberate strategy of creating chaos at distribution sites — only emboldens terrorists and distorts the moral landscape. The Israel Defense Forces face an enemy that embeds itself within civilian infrastructure, a tactic unprecedented in modern warfare, according to urban combat expert John Spencer. Yet Israel is condemned as if it were waging a conventional war against a regular army. This distortion fuels global protests, often incited by images and headlines stripped of context, and plays well to increasingly restive Muslim populations in Europe. Among world leaders, only President Trump has consistently refused to be gaslit by Hamas propaganda or to excuse the Palestinian Authority and PLO's involvement in terrorism. He directed the State Department to sanction their leaders and hold them accountable. Whatever one thinks of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war strategy, Trump recognizes that Israel is not guilty of genocide or war crimes alleged by biased international bodies. In contrast to European leaders who reward terror with promises of Palestinian statehood, Trump sent Ambassador Mike Huckabee and special envoy Steve Witkoff into Gaza to see the situation firsthand. Still, Israel must confront a hard truth: it is a formidable regional power, but not a global one — and its margin for error is shrinking. When the U.S. waged war against ISIS or battled Islamist extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan, tens of thousands of civilians died — but the world did not erupt in protest because those wars were seen as just, and the West was united. Like America, Israel does not target civilians. But unlike America, Israel faces a global double standard while its enemies are absolved of primary responsibility. A 'strategic victory' won't be clean or complete. But to preserve its alliance with the U.S. — especially as tensions with Iran will escalate again — Israel must end its ground war in Gaza soon. A prolonged occupation or annexation would alienate its last major ally and endanger the Jewish and democratic character of the state. Israel should withdraw its troops from Gaza, maintaining only a two-kilometer buffer zone near the border and corridors like the Philadelphi to prevent the smuggling of weapons from Egypt. It should also flood Gaza with food and aid — even if Hamas remains in place — while continuing to target terrorist infrastructure through airstrikes, drones and special operations. This approach will mitigate humanitarian suffering while preserving Israel's ability to act decisively. But there should be no rebuilding of Gaza — not a single bag of cement — until the hostages are released. Hamas has already rejected a U.S.-brokered deal to return ten living hostages. Realistically, Hamas will not release all of them voluntarily; their psychological hold over Israeli society is their greatest remaining weapon. Rescue operations or a dramatic shift in international pressure are the only remaining options. To claim a partial but credible strategic victory, Israel must redefine success as the destruction of Hamas as a military entity, not its total eradication. Gazans will remain radicalized for generations, whether or not their leaders are called 'Hamas.' It must also realign its politics to win back bipartisan American support. That means Netanyahu must lead — by sidelining extremists like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, and calling for new elections to renew democratic legitimacy at home. This is also the best chance Bibi has of holding power in the next election. Israel is not losing militarily — but it is bleeding strategically. The path forward lies not in total conquest, but in clear-eyed realism, moral clarity and preserving the support of the one ally it cannot afford to lose.
Fox News
33 minutes ago
- Fox News
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed his plans for Israel to take full control of the Gaza Strip, marking a major shift in policy nearly two decades after Israel withdrew from the region. In an exclusive interview with Fox News' Bill Hemmer, Netanyahu said the move is aimed at eliminating Hamas and eventually transferring governance to Arab authorities. "We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas," said Netanyahu. "In order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance." While Netanyahu insisted Israel is not planning to occupy Gaza for the long term, he emphasized the need for a lasting security presence and the dismantling of Hamas. "The only way that you're [going to] have a different future is to get rid of this neo-Nazi army. The Hamas are monsters," he said. Nearly two years after the October 7th terror attacks, about 50 hostages, both dead and alive, remain trapped in Gaza. Netanyahu's plans come as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas have stalled in recent weeks. U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has previously expressed optimism about talks, but progress has since stalled. Israel's security cabinet is set to meet Thursday to discuss the future of the war and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. The United Nations and other international groups have warned of famine and deteriorating access to necessary supplies in the region. Earlier this week, Hemmer visited a food distribution center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S. and Israeli-backed aid organization. Despite clear logistical issues, Hemmer reported that thousands of people received food at the site. "What you saw today was controlled. Certainly, these are desperate people who are fighting for food, fighting for their lives, and are living in a war zone," said Chapin Fay, a spokesperson for the GHF. "This is the most complex humanitarian crisis of our lifetime, and we have to stop pretending that there's only one way to deliver aid to the people in Gaza." The United Nations Human Rights Council has called for the GHF's "immediate dismantling," as some human rights groups have accused the organization of firing on civilians and committing war crimes. The GHF denied the allegations. Netanyahu defended the aid distribution system in Gaza, arguing that the humanitarian crisis stems from Hamas' control and its looting of much of the provided aid. "They want people to be civilian casualties. They want a starvation policy that they themselves are trying to put into being," he said. "And we're doing everything to reverse that."
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Palestinians scramble for aid, as it is airdropped over north Gaza
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