Israel's Netanyahu acknowledges pressure from allies in decision to resume Gaza aid

Tel Aviv, May 19 (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that his decision to resume aid to Gaza after a weeks-long blockade came after pressure from allies.

In a video statement posted to social media, Netanyahu said that Israel's allies had voiced concern about “images of hunger”.

Israel's “greatest friends in the world,” he said 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.

The aid that would be let in would be “minimal,” he said without specifying precisely when it would resume.

Israel on Sunday said it would resume aid deliveries into the war-battered territory after a complete halt on imports since early March. Israel has maintained that the blockade on goods — including fuel, food and medicine — was meant to ramp up pressure on the militant Hamas group in Gaza.

The weeks-long halt on aid deepened and already dire humanitarian crisis and prompted warnings of famine from food experts.

That change in approach came as Israel launched a new offensive during which it plans to seize Gaza, displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and secure aid distribution inside the territory.

Israel says these are all ways to push Hamas toward agreeing to a ceasefire deal on Israel's terms. And while the sides continue to negotiate a potential truce, it is not clear how much progress has been made in bridging the remaining sticking points between the sides.

Also on Monday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for residents of Gaza's second-largest city, Khan Younis, and nearby towns.

Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the order on his social medial accounts, saying the entire area “will be considered a dangerous combat zone”. (AP) PY PY

Source: PTI