18-11-2023 (WASHINGTON) In a surprising move, Israel announced on November 17 that it would permit fuel trucks to enter Gaza and assured “no limitation” on aid requested by the United Nations. The decision comes amid increasing international warnings that Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian enclave could lead to widespread starvation and disease.
Israel agreed to allow two truckloads of fuel per day, fulfilling a request from Washington to help the United Nations address basic needs in Gaza. The nation also expressed plans to expand aid efforts, including the establishment of field hospitals to treat wounded Gazans.
Colonel Elad Goren, representing COGAT, the Ministry of Defence agency coordinating administrative issues with the Palestinians, stated, “We will increase the capacity of the humanitarian convoys and trucks as long as there is a need.” He emphasized that every UN-requested item would be delivered without limitation.
While Israel has previously pledged to permit aid, these remarks suggest a potential shift in approach following warnings from UN agencies about deteriorating humanitarian conditions for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. The World Food Programme, in particular, issued a stark warning about the “immediate possibility of starvation.”
The decision could spark divisions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline Cabinet. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, from the far-right, criticized the move, calling it a “serious mistake” that conveys weakness and provides “oxygen into the enemy.”
Israel has maintained a commitment to annihilate the Hamas militant group controlling Gaza since a deadly rampage on October 7, during which Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and abducted 240 hostages.
The subsequent Israeli response has included extensive bombings in Gaza, the depopulation of the northern half of the enclave, and rendering approximately two-thirds of Gazans homeless. Gaza health authorities reported a death toll surpassing 12,000 people, with 5,000 of them children, and many others trapped under rubble.
At Gaza’s largest hospital, Al Shifa, Israeli forces claimed to have found weapons and an underground structure referred to as a Hamas tunnel shaft. The hospital has been a focal point of international concern. Israel alleges the hospital sits above a vast underground bunker housing a Hamas command headquarters, a claim hospital staff denies.
The announcement also highlighted the ongoing conflict, with Israel’s determination to advance its operation against Hamas, particularly in the southern strip of Gaza.
More boxes of @USAID food aid are now headed to Egypt before moving on to Gaza.
Access to humanitarian aid is critical for civilians and I’m committed to working with our partners to increase the supply of food, water, and medicine, without diversion by Hamas. pic.twitter.com/i8jSotIu6E
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 17, 2023
