
Israel will allow limited aid into Gaza after nearly 3 months of blockade, Netanyahu says
Israel says it will allow a limited amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade to avoid a 'hunger crisis', after global experts on food crises warned of famine.
Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday his cabinet approved a decision to allow a 'basic' amount of food into Gaza. Israel imposed a complete blockade on humanitarian aid starting on March 2.
Netanyahu said allowing some aid in would enable Israel to expand its new military operation, which began on Saturday.
It was not immediately clear when aid would enter Gaza, or how.
Netanyahu said Israel would work to ensure that Hamas will not control aid distribution and ensure the aid does not reach Hamas militants.
The decision to provide Gaza residents with basic food aid was made on the recommendation of the Israeli Army, Netanyahu's office said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Israel recovers bodies of 2 hostages from Gaza Strip
Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages taken in Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip, officials said Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai were recovered and returned to Israel in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet internal security agency. 'Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the dear families. Our hearts ache for the most terrible loss. May their memory be blessed,' he said in a statement. Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, in December 2023. The military said they were killed in the October 7 attack and that their bodies were recently recovered from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. A damaged house in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, following Hamas' deadly attack in 2023. File photo: Reuters The couple were taking an early morning walk near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of October 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the border and rampaged through several army bases and farming communities.


South China Morning Post
18 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump officials target Columbia University's accreditation over Gaza protests
The US Education Department said Columbia University no longer appeared to meet accreditation standards after concluding that the school is in violation of anti-discrimination laws, the latest effort by the Trump administration to target elite schools over their handling of pro-Palestinian protests. Advertisement US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement that the school's leadership 'acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus' after the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. 'Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. 'Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal anti-discrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards,' she said. The Education Department said it had notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that the administration found that the school failed to meaningfully protect students during the protests, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Advertisement The department also cited federal law which they said required accreditors to notify member institutions if they were in noncompliance and establish a plan to bring them back into compliance.


South China Morning Post
21 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US vetoes UN Security Council demand for Gaza ceasefire
The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza because it was not linked to the release of hostages. The resolution before the UN's most powerful body also did not condemn Hamas' deadly attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza – two other US demands. The 14 other members of the 15-nation council voted in favour of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as 'catastrophic' and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory. Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea, speaking to the council immediately before the vote, said the resolution would undermine the security of Israel. a close US ally, and diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire 'that reflects the realities on the ground', while emboldening Hamas. The Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour has said that supporters plan to go to the 193-member UN General Assembly next week with a similar resolution focused on the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. There are no vetoes in the General Assembly. Unlike in the Security Council, its resolutions are not legally binding, but instead are seen as a measure of world opinion.