Latest news with #Gideon'sChariot
NBC News
31-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Opposition to Gaza war grows among Israeli soldiers as strikes ramp up
TEL AVIV — Barely noticeable only a few months ago, opposition is growing about fresh Israeli operations in Gaza even among the country's military reservists, some of whom have publicly called out the government for what they say is an immoral and politically motivated decision to continue the war. 'I refuse to commit war crimes,' Yuval Ben Ari told NBC News earlier this month. 'The patriotic thing to do is to say no.' 'As an Israeli, as a human being, I'm calling the Israeli government to stop starving 2 million people,' he said, adding that he felt shame and guilt because 'people inside Gaza are starving to death.' As a reservist soldier, Ben Ari served two rotations inside Gaza, the first in the north of the enclave and the second in the south, and he is one of a growing number of former and current Israel Defense Forces personnel — including high-ranking commanders — who have voiced their concerns about the country's conduct in the war. This pushback has only grown after the Netanyahu government announced a major new operation dubbed 'Gideon's Chariot,' which began earlier this month. Over 12,000 current and former service members signed a series of letters since the collapse of the ceasefire in March calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to end the war and declaring they will refuse to serve if it continues, according to Restart Israel, an activist group that tracks how many people oppose the government's actions. NBC News has approached the IDF for comment about the letters. In a statement to The Associated Press after one of the letters was released last month, the military said it should be 'above all political dispute.' Speaking in Israel's southern city of Sderot, which sits a few hundred yards from the Gaza border, meaning the ruins in Gaza are visible and the sound of explosions and aircraft overhead are omnipresent, Ben Ari said he convinced the IDF to let him re-enlist after the Hamas-led terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Despite a leg injury, he said he felt he should join the army to protect his homeland. But during his first deployment in Gaza late last year, he said he quickly became disillusioned by the destruction he witnessed. Sent to southern Gaza when Israel resumed its military campaign in March, Ben Ari said he came to the realization that he could no longer serve in good conscience. So a week into his monthlong rotation, he said he asked his commander to be relieved of his duty and made his way to the border. As soon as he was back inside Israel, he wrote on social media, 'I will no longer wear this uniform under the current government.' While most of his friends and family applauded his stance, Ben Ari said, others called him a traitor and accused him of selfishness and abandoning the remaining hostages — criticism he said he expected. He later penned an anonymous article for Israel's highly respected Haaretz newspaper about his experiences. However, he is far from alone in expressing his disquiet after Israel shattered its ceasefire with Hamas in early March and imposed a blockade preventing food, fuel and medical supplies from entering Gaza, where Israeli attacks have killed more than 54,000 people since the current conflict began, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave. The IDF would not comment on the number of reservists it uses or the size of its overall forces. 'They are not saying, 'Stop the war because we are tired,'' Guy Poran, a retired Israeli air force pilot, said in an interview at his home in Tel Aviv earlier this month. 'They're saying this war is not legitimate.' Poran, 69, who helped initiate an anti-war letter signed by almost 1,200 current and former air force members, added that Netanyahu, who is currently on trial over allegations of bribery and fraud, 'is deeply in trouble, indicted with very serious criminal charges.' Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the string of corruption probes. Netanyahu's political survival lies in the hands of his partners 'on the extreme right,' Poran said, referring to ultranationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, both of whom have threatened to bring down the government if Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas, while also calling for the total annihilation of the militant group and, more generally, the reoccupation and resettlement of Gaza by Israel. Israel, Poran added, is held 'hostage because of this blackmail.' NBC News has approached Netanyahu's office for comment. One of the letter's signatories, a major in the air force reserve, said they added their name because both the actions of the government and the way some ministers spoke freely about starving people in Gaza were not what you would see from 'a normal, moral government,' and they thought the ministers were 'losing it.' 'Somehow the military has to put a stop sign in front of them,' they added. Asked about concerns from some reservists that the war was being conducted for political purposes, the IDF did not respond directly. 'Reservists, who leave behind their families, daily routines, jobs, and studies to repeatedly stand in defense of the country's security and its citizens, are a central pillar of the IDF's strength,' it said in a statement. In a separate interview, a lieutenant colonel in the air force reserve objected to the resumption of military activities in Gaza over fears that Israeli forces 'will probably kill our own,' they said, referring to the 58 hostages who remain in captivity, although the majority are believed to be dead. 'This is a red line,' they said, adding that Netanyahu and his coalition were neglecting the hostages 'in order to preserve their own government.' NBC News agreed not to use their names because they feared for their safety and their jobs, although under Israeli law, employers must have a legitimate reason to fire someone and follow due process before terminating their employment. The army has nonetheless dismissed or threatened to dismiss service reservists who signed the letter, according to The Associated Press. Along with Poran and Ben Ari, both reservists spoke before Israel lifted its blockade on aid entering Gaza earlier this month, around three months after it began. The move was condemned by Ben-Gvir, who called it 'foolish' and 'morally wrong' in a Monday post on X. Smotrich and Israel's Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu have previously been criticized for similar statements. Poran said there was a growing feeling that 'it has become a revenge war, and that too many civilians are being killed, innocent, children, women, unnecessarily,' Poran said. 'Even the army says it cannot be a long-term solution' he added. 'If we occupy there, we have to take care of their food, of their health, of their school system, of their sewage. Who's going to do it?' 'You cannot just displace 2 million people,' Ben Ari said. 'It's inhuman.'
The Journal
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
How an aid blockade and a warning that 14,000 babies could die heaped Western pressure on Israel
IN THE 19 months since Israel launched war on Gaza in response to the 7 October attacks, it seemed as though Israel was able to act with a good deal of impunity from western states. However, there has been a marked change in relations towards Israel this week following a stark warning about the aid blockade on Gaza and a new operation to 'destroy' and 'conquest' Gaza. Here's a timeline of the recent actions which have resulted in western governments exerting more pressure on Israel. Aid blockade Israel stopped all deliveries of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to Gaza on 2 March . This prompted President Michael D Higgins to warn that 'we are now also seeing starvation being used as an instrument of war'. Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Jabalia, northern Gaza. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Israel then resumed its military offensive two weeks later, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Since Israel resumed its strikes on Gaza on 18 March, an estimated 3,340 people have been killed in Gaza, as the death toll in the region has surpassed 53,000. Gideon's Chariot Last Saturday, 17 May, Israel then launched Operation Gideon's Chariot, which reportedly includes a plan to seize full control of Gaza and relocate its entire population to a small southern enclave. The plan was approved on 5 May and with its approval came increasingly violent rhetoric from Israeli government figures towards Gaza. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich remarked that Operation Gideon's Chariot would involve the 'conquest of the Gaza Strip'. 'Gaza will be entirely destroyed,' he added. This operation came less than a week after Hamas released Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander who had been held hostage for more than 19 months in the Gaza Strip . It was viewed as a goodwill gesture by Hamas towards the Trump administration and one that the group hoped could lay the groundwork for a new ceasefire with Israel. 'When Edan Alexander was released, we thought that moment would open a door to end this tragedy,' Qatar's prime minister said yesterday. 'But the response was a more violent wave of strikes,' said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani. Indeed, this wave of strikes is reported to have resulted in US vice president JD Vance skipping a trip to Israel on his way home from the papal inauguration of Pope Leo XIV . Palestinians inspect site of Israeli airstrike on the European hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip on 13 May, 2025. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo While the White House officially said 'logistical constraints' resulted in the visit being shelved, it is reported that the actual reason is that the Trump administration did not want to be seen as endorsing the Israeli decision to launch a massive operation in Gaza. Under pressure from the Trump administration and EU allies, Israel decided on Sunday to allow some aid into Gaza. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that he was only allowing aid in because 'images of mass starvation' could undermine Israel's war effort. He also said on Monday that Israel would 'take control of all the territory' of the Gaza Strip. Only five aid trucks entered Gaza the following day, 19 May, which was described by the EU as a 'drop in the ocean'. Joint UK, France and Canada statement In a rare joint statement on Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said they 'strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza'. The joint statement described the suffering in Gaza as 'intolerable' and called on the 'Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza'. The statement added: 'We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.' It also expressed opposition to 'any attempt to expand settlements in the West Bank' and threatened 'targeted sanctions'. Advertisement The UK yesterday issued sanctions on individuals and illegal settler outposts and organisations 'supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank'. Daniella Weiss is one of those included in the sanctions – she is the leader of Israel settler organisation Nachala. Daniella Weiss, head of the Nachala settler organisation. BBC BBC Sometimes referred to as the 'godmother of the settler movement', she featured in a recent BBC documentary by journalist Louis Theroux which explored the actions of Jewish settlers in the West Bank, also known as the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled the joint statement by the UK, France and Canada a 'huge prize' for Hamas. Netanyahu also said that 'Israel accepts President Trump's vision and urges all European leaders to do the same'. By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottowa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more… — Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 19, 2025 This was an apparent reference to Trump's proposal in February to 'take over' the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents. The plan was swiftly rejected and denounced and Trump later walked back the remarks. Review of EU-Israel agreement Meanwhile, it was warned yesterday by the UN that up to 14,000 babies are at risk of imminent death due to a lack of aid. While Israel said 93 trucks had entered Gaza yesterday, the UN said the aid had been held up. It was also announced yesterday that the EU would review its political and economic agreement with Israel over the 'catastrophic' situation in Gaza. 'The aid that Israel has allowed in is of course welcomed, but it's a drop in the ocean,' said Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She added that 'aid must flow immediately without obstruction and at scale because this is what is needed'. The EU-Israel Association Agreement came into force in 2000 and aims to facilitate political dialogue and economic cooperation between the EU and Israel. The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting for 32% of Israel's total trade in goods last year. Some 34.2% of Israel's imports came from the EU while, and 28.8% of the country's exports went to the EU. Kallas said the EU was acting after 'a strong majority' of its 27 member states backed the move in a bid to pressure Israel. Junior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs Neale Richmond told Channel 4 News last night that the Irish government and member states want to see an 'immediate and full' reopening of humanitarian corridors for aid. Channel 4 News / YouTube And while declining to name which countries voted against the review, Richmond did go on to list 'Hungary, Czechia, Germany, Slovakia and Austria' as member states that have 'consistently' supported Israel during the war. While there is the possibility of the agreement being suspended following a review, it's unlikely there would be enough support for such a move. Richmond also called on other EU member states to 'move swiftly' to formally recognise the State of Palestine. UK halts trade talks with Israel Elsewhere, the UK also decided to halt trade talks with Israel yesterday, in addition to sanctioning those involved in supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank. The UK's Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the aid blockade in Gaza and told the House of Commons that 'we cannot stand by in the face of this new deterioration'. Times News / YouTube 'Therefore today, I am announcing that we have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement,' said Lammy. The UK had begun began negotiations to upgrade its existing free-trade agreement with Israel in 2022. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu: Israel will control all Gaza, take over aid deliveries
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would control all of the Gaza Strip and prevent Hamas from looting aid. The prime minister made his remarks as the Israeli military started in earnest a large-scale operation, called Gideon's Chariot, that Netanyahu said amounted to his country essentially taking over Gaza. 'This is part of defeating Hamas, in parallel with the tremendous military pressure, our massive entry, to essentially take over all of Gaza and strip Hamas of all ability to plunder humanitarian aid,' Netanyahu said, according to a transcript provided by Reuters. 'This is the war and victory plan.' Netanyahu said the Israeli military would take control of food and aid distribution to Palestinians in the strip in coordination with American companies. 'The method is distribution points that are secured by the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces], preventing Hamass' access and allowing American companies to distribute the food and medicine aid to the population,' Netanyahu said. 'It takes time. We are going to set up the first points in a few days and add them later, eventually reaching a situation where we have an area that is entirely controlled by the IDF and the entire civilian population of Gaza can get there and receive the aid and Hamas receives nothing.' Reuters reported aid trucks were seen heading into the northern Gaza Strip, the first movement after nearly three months of a blockade that Israel said was necessary pressure on Hamas to release dozens of hostages it kidnapped from Israel during its attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel's blockade drew widespread international condemnation. President Trump earlier this month said the U.S. would help get aid into Gaza. The remarks came ahead of the president's three-tour Middle Eastern trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, where support for Palestinians is a priority issue. While Trump did not provide details on aid resumption at the time, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested the U.S. was behind a newly established 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation' that would facilitate distribution with private American companies. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said Trump wants to see the conflict between Israel and Hamas end and all hostages be released. Trump, through negotiations with Hamas, secured the release last week of Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander. Leavitt did not have a response to Netanyahu's remarks about Israel taking over the strip. Trump has floated the U.S. taking over Gaza, encouraging Palestinians to migrate from the territory and remaking it into a Riviera-like vacation destination. 'As for the prime minister's comments, I'll let the president himself respond to those,' Leavitt said. Netanyahu said the mounting international pressure forced Israel to relent on the blockade, the Times of Israel reported, citing a video released by the prime minister on his Telegram channel. Netanyahu said Israel's allies had voiced concern about 'images of hunger' and lawmakers from an unnamed nation said Israel would lose support if mass hunger proliferated. 'We cannot accept images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that. We will not be able to support you,' Netanyahu said in his video message. The war between Israel and Hamas started after Hamas's October 2023 attack on southern Israel, where the U.S.-designated terrorist group killed approximately 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage. Israel launched a widespread military operation that has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed approximately 56,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The U.S. had helped broker two ceasefires, in November 2023 and this January, that allowed for the return of hostages and a reprieve for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The second ceasefire fell apart in March. The Trump administration is working to broker a truce that would allow for the release of 58 hostages still held by Hamas, although a little more than 20 people are still believed to be alive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel pushes deeper into Gaza as Netanyahu warns of losing allies over looming famine. Here's what we know
Israel launched a new devastating ground offensive in Gaza over the weekend just as US President Donald Trump departed the region without sealing a ceasefire and hostage deal. The Israeli military said its forces moved into northern and southern Gaza over the past day as part of the 'Gideon's Chariots' operation, which Israel warned would take place if Hamas doesn't agree to a new hostage deal on its terms. The ground operation came after days of heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which according to health authorities there have wiped out entire families. Israel says it will allow a 'basic amount of food' into the besieged enclave, a move which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted was due to intense pressure from Israel's allies. Hamas and Israel also began indirect talks in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday. Here's what we know about Israel's new offensive and what it means for Gazans. Israel has for weeks been warning about operation 'Gideon's Chariot' – a reference to a biblical warrior – saying it is aimed at achieving 'all the goals of the war in Gaza,' including defeating Hamas and securing the release of remaining hostages in the territory. The operation was approved by the country's Security Cabinet on May 5, a senior security official told CNN previously, adding that unlike in the past, the military will remain in areas it captures. On Monday, Netanyahu said that Israel plans to take control of all of Gaza. The official said earlier in May that the plan would be implemented after Trump's trip to the Middle East to 'provide a window of opportunity' to reach a hostage deal. The warring parties failed to reach a deal during Trump's visit last week, and Israel pressed on with its operation over the weekend. This began with a series of intense airstrikes last week and was followed by an expanded ground offensive on Sunday. The Israeli military said Sunday that over the past week, it struck more than 670 'Hamas targets' in a wave of preliminary airstrikes across the enclave. Health officials in Gaza said on Sunday that the operation killed over 100 people overnight, and shuttered the last functioning hospital in the enclave's north. Entire families were killed while sleeping, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. More than 300 people have been killed and over 1,000 others injured since Thursday, according to a CNN count of health ministry data. More than 53,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its war on October 7, 2023, according to the ministry, which added that the majority of the dead are women and children. On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that due to the 'operational need,' Israel will allow a 'basic amount of food' to enter Gaza to prevent famine in the enclave, which Israel says would jeopardize its military operation. Netanyahu has also hinted that his country could lose the support of its closest allies, including the United States, if it doesn't lift its 11-week blockade on the territory, which has further exacerbated a humanitarian crisis on the ground that aid agencies, including the United Nations, have said could lead to widespread famine. The UN had warned that Gaza's entire population of over 2.1 million people is facing a risk of famine following 19 months of conflict and mass displacement. If 'a situation of famine' arose in Gaza, Israel 'simply won't receive international support,' Netanyahu said Monday. 'Even our closest allies in the world – US senators I know personally and who have been staunch, unconditional supporters of Israel for decades – are coming to me and saying: 'We are giving you all the support to achieve victory – weapons, support for your efforts to eliminate Hamas, protection at the UN Security Council – but there's one thing we cannot accept: images of mass starvation… If that happens, we won't be able to support you anymore,'' Netanyahu said in an address posted to Telegram. 'We are approaching a dangerous point we don't want to reach,' he said, adding that the military would find a 'solution to this problem' to achieve its war aims. Netanyahu's explanations were largely aimed at mollifying his right-wing supporters who adamantly oppose the entry of any humanitarian aid to Gaza, including to civilians. Asked when aid will start entering into the enclave, Netanyahu's office said on Monday that 'it will happen in the near future.' A controversial American-backed organization, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), tasked with delivering aid to the territory, welcomed the Israeli announcement about allowing food aid as a 'bridging mechanism' until the group is fully operational. The foundation is meant to run a new, tightly controlled mechanism for aid deliveries that has been approved by Israel and the US, which both countries say is designed to prevent Hamas from 'stealing' aid. The GHF-run mechanism has come under criticism from top humanitarian officials, who warn that it is insufficient, could endanger civilians and even encourage their forced displacement. Given that the initial sites would only be in southern and central Gaza, the UN warned, this could be seen to be encouraging Israel's publicly stated goal of forcing 'the entire Gazan population' out of northern Gaza, as Defense Minister Israel Katz put it earlier this month. Jake Wood, the foundation's executive director, said Israel has also agreed to allow it to establish two sites in northern Gaza, which he believes can be up and running within the first 30 days of its operations. Wood told CNN that he did not yet know when or how many aid trucks Israel would allow into Gaza and said he believes much of the humanitarian community's opposition to the mechanism is based on misinformation. The UN's aid chief, Tom Fletcher, said Friday that there's no need for an alternative Gaza aid plan. 'Let's not waste time: We already have a plan,' he said. In one of the strongest condemnations of Israel's war by a high-ranking UN official, Fletcher said the international community must prevent 'genocide' in the enclave. 'Will you act – decisively – to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead, 'we did all we could?'' he told the UN Security Council. Trump visited Gulf Arab states last week, including Qatar, where his negotiating team was engaged in ceasefire and hostage talks. The president said this month that he wanted an end to the 'brutal war' in Gaza and did not visit Israel during his tour of the region, which he had already twice bypassed this month in reaching bilateral deals with regional militant groups. On Wednesday, Trump denied that Israel had been sidelined. 'This is good for Israel,' he said. But on Thursday, he said he wanted the US to 'take' Gaza and turn it into a 'freedom zone.' He also told Fox News on Saturday that he is not frustrated with Netanyahu, as the Israeli prime minister has got 'a tough situation.' While in the Gulf, Trump also acknowledged that people are starving in Gaza and said the US would have the situation 'taken care of.' 'We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving,' he told reporters in UAE capital Abu Dhabi. On Sunday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told ABC News that the issue with getting aid into Gaza is primarily logistical. 'It is logistically complicated and the conditions on the ground are dangerous,' he said. 'That said, we do not want to see a humanitarian crisis and we will not allow it to occur on President Trump's watch.' Israeli Defense Minister Katz said Saturday that the new military operation in Gaza is what pressured Hamas to return to negotiations in Qatar last week. But analysts and officials say it's more likely that the militant group agreed to restart the talks following Trump's Middle East visit. Senior Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu confirmed Saturday that 'negotiations without preconditions' had started in Doha, according to Hamas-run al Aqsa TV. It is unclear how well the discussions are progressing in Doha. Israel on Sunday indicated its openness to ending the war in Gaza if Hamas surrenders, a proposition the group is unlikely to accept as long as Israel continues to insist on Hamas disarming. Meanwhile, Hamas officials have given conflicting comments about the talks. Earlier on Sunday, a senior Hamas leader told CNN that the group had agreed to release between seven and nine Israeli hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 300 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hours later, another senior Hamas leader, Sami Abu Zuhri, denied and contradicted that proposal, posting a statement on Al-Aqsa TV's Telegram: 'There is no truth to the rumors regarding the movement's agreement to release nine Israeli prisoners in exchange for a two-month ceasefire.' Zuhri went on to say: 'We are ready to release the prisoners all at once, provided the occupation commits to a cessation of hostilities under international guarantees, and we will not hand over the occupation's prisoners as long as it insists on continuing its aggression against Gaza indefinitely.' CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Mostafa Salem, Abeer Salman, Eyad Kourdi, Ibrahim Dahman, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Tim Lister, Mick Krever, Euegnia Yosef and Dana Karni contributed reporting. Khader Al-Za'anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, also contributed.
The Hill
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Netanyahu: Israel will control all Gaza, take over aid deliveries
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said Israel would control all of the Gaza Strip and prevent Hamas from looting aid. The prime minister made his remarks as the Israel Defense Forces started in earnest a large-scale operation, called Gideon's Chariot, that Netanyahu said amounted to Israel essentially taking over Gaza. 'This is part of defeating Hamas, in parallel with the tremendous military pressure, our massive entry, to essentially take over all of Gaza and strip Hamas of all ability to plunder humanitarian aid,' Netanyahu said, according to a transcript provided by Reuters. 'This is the war and victory plan.' Netanyahu said Israel would resume, and the Israeli military (IDF) would take control of food and aid distribution to Palestinians in the strip in coordination with American companies. 'The method is distribution points that are secured by the IDF, preventing Hamas' access and allowing American companies to distribute the food and medicine aid to the population,' Netanyahu said. 'It takes time. We are going to set up the first points in a few days and add them later, eventually reaching a situation where we have an area that is entirely controlled by the IDF and the entire civilian population of Gaza can get there and receive the aid and Hamas receives nothing.' Reuters reported that aid trucks were seen heading into the northern Gaza Strip, the first movement after nearly three months of a blockade that Israel said was necessary pressure on Hamas to release dozens of hostages it kidnapped from Israel during its attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel's blockade drew wide-spread international condemnation. President Trump earlier this month said the U.S. would help get aid into Gaza. The remarks came ahead of the president's three-tour trip to the Middle East, to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, where support for Palestinians is a priority issue. While Trump did not provide details on aid resumption at the time, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested the U.S. was behind a newly established 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation' that would facilitate distribution with private American companies. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said Trump wants to see the conflict between Israel and Hamas end and all hostages be released. Trump, through negotiations with Hamas, secured the release last week of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. Leavitt did not have a response to Netanyahu's remarks about Israel taking over the strip. Trump has floated the U.S. taking over Gaza, encouraging the voluntary migration of Palestinians from the territory and remaking it into a Riviera-like vacation destination. 'As for the prime minister's comments, I'll let the president himself respond to those,' Leavitt said. Netanyahu said the mounting international pressure forced Israel to relent on the blockade, the Times of Israel reported, citing a video released by the prime minister on his Telegram channel. Netanyahu said Israel's allies had voiced concern about 'images of hunger' and lawmakers from an unnamed nation said Israel would lose support if mass hunger proliferated. 'We cannot accept images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that. We will not be able to support you,' Netanyahu said in his video message. The war between Israel and Hamas started after Hamas's October 2023 attack on southern Israel, where the U.S.-designated terrorist group killed approximately 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage. Israel launched a widespread military operation that has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed approximately 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The U.S. had helped broker two ceasefires, in November 2023 and this January, that allowed for the return of hostages and a reprieve for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The second ceasefire fell apart in March. The Trump administration is working to broker a truce that would allow for the release of 58 hostages still held by the terror group, although a little more than 20 people are still believed to be alive.
