Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces will “take over all areas” of the Gaza Strip and that Israel will act to prevent a famine by lifting a weekslong blockade on aid, though he said the resources allowed in would be “minimal.”
His remarks came a day after Israel launched a major ground offensive in Gaza, dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.” Israel says it must eliminate the militant group Hamas from Gaza for its own security.
“There is one essential condition: We must not reach a situation of famine, both from a practical standpoint and a diplomatic one,” Netanyahu said in a video posted to his Telegram page on Monday morning.
“People simply won’t support us. We won’t be able to complete the mission of victory.”
Israel-Hamas War
Hamas governed Gaza until the Israeli invasion. Hamas militants launched the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw hostages taken from Israel into Gaza, sparking the current war.
Some of the hostages have been released, while others have died in captivity. Fifty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, though many are feared to be dead.
The personal and financial cost to Gazans of the destructive war has been huge, with many deaths and whole neighborhoods razed. Critics of Israel say it has been too aggressive in its war and has shown little concern for how its offensives impact civilians.
But Israel accuses Hamas of hiding behind civilians and launching attacks from civilian infrastructure, and that Gaza’s urban density makes it a difficult environment to avoid such casualties in a war.
Allies Pressed Israel Over ‘Images of Hunger’
Netanyahu acknowledged a new plan developed with the United States for American companies to deliver aid via distribution points secured by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He accused Hamas of looting previous aid deliveries.
He said the decision to resume aid to Gaza came after pressure from allies, who had voiced concern about “images of hunger.”
Netanyahu said Israel’s “greatest friends in the world,” without mentioning specific nationalities, had said there is “one thing we cannot stand. We cannot accept images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that. We will not be able to support you.”
“Therefore, to achieve victory, we need to somehow solve the problem,” Netanyahu said.
He said the aid that would be let in would be “minimal,” without specifying precisely when it would resume.
“Our large-scale entry is essentially about taking control of all of Gaza and stripping Hamas of any ability to loot humanitarian aid,” Netanyahu said.
Trump Sees ‘Bad Things’ in Gaza
U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted the situation in Gaza during his recent tour of the Middle East.
“We’re looking at Gaza, we’ve got to get that taken care of, a lot of people are starving. There’s a lot of bad things going on,” Trump said during a stop in the United Arab Emirates.
Trump had earlier proposed the U.S. take control of Gaza and turn it into a “freedom zone” during his Qatar leg of the trip.
“If it’s necessary, I think I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone,” Trump said in a speech to American troops. “Let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with.”
Newsweek with reporting by The Associated Press.