Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip amid increased international pressure and a deteriorating humanitarian situation that threatens mass starvation.
In a video message released on 19 May, Netanyahu said the decision to allow limited humanitarian aid was dictated by both “practical and diplomatic reasons.” According to an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement, truckloads of baby food will enter Gaza on Monday. More deliveries are planned in the coming days, with several dozen trucks carrying food and medical supplies allowed into the enclave.
The decision to resume humanitarian supplies to Gaza comes after more than two months of a tight blockade of the territory imposed by Israel in March. The decision comes after an internal dispute within the Israeli government. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich opposed it, citing that humanitarian support is not provided to Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Smotrich later agreed with the decision to resume shipments, saying it would allow Israel’s allies to continue to support it in the international diplomatic arena.
The resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries comes amid an active phase of fighting in the southern Gaza Strip’s Khan Younis neighbourhood. The Israeli army earlier called on the local population to evacuate and Netanyahu emphasised that Israel intends to “take control of the entire Gaza Strip”.
According to the militant-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, more than 3,300 people have been killed in Gaza since Israeli strikes resumed on 18 March, bringing the total number of casualties of the Israeli military operation since 2023 to more than 53,000. What part of the dead are Hamas militants (recognised as terrorist in the EU and the US), the Health Ministry reports do not say. It is impossible to verify the veracity of this agency’s data under war conditions.
“Hamas continues to hold about 50 Israeli hostages, of whom, according to IDF estimates, only 21 are alive. The militants call the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a long-term ceasefire a condition for their release. Israel rejects this demand and demands the return of the hostages immediately.