Netanyahu, Katz instruct Israeli army to show plan to prevent Hamas ‘seizing’ aid
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have issued a joint statement saying they have instructed the Israeli military to present a plan to stop Hamas from “seizing” aid in Gaza, according to reports in several Israeli media outlets.
“Following information received today that Hamas is again taking control of humanitarian aid entering northern Gaza and stealing it from civilians, the Prime Minister and Defense Minister have instructed the [Israeli military] to present within 48 hours an action plan to prevent Hamas from seizing the aid,” said the statement, reportedly issued just before midnight on Wednesday.
Citing an unnamed official, Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that the government has already halted aid deliveries to Gaza, with the pause to remain in place until the Israeli military presents its plan.
The unconfirmed report comes after Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly threatened to quit the government if immediate action was not taken to prevent aid from reaching Hamas, according to The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post.
In March, Israel imposed an almost three-month blockade on all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, bringing millions of Palestinians in the besieged enclave to the brink of famine. Since lifting its blockade in late May, Israeli forces have carried out numerous deadly massacres of Palestinian aid seekers gathering at delivery points.
Forcible transfer of Palestinians through new Israeli law a war crime: UN
Israeli authorities have “expedited measures to forcibly transfer large numbers of Palestinians from longstanding Palestinian towns and communities” in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory (OHCHR).
The forced displacement is being procured through a directive by the Israeli Civil Administration to reject all building and planning permits submitted by Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills, on the grounds that the Israeli army needs the area for military training, OHCHR said.
“Over the past months, Israel has dramatically ramped up home demolitions, as well as the arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment of Palestinians and human rights defenders, alongside intensifying movement restrictions in and around Masafer Yatta, to force Palestinians out,” the UN organisation said in a statement.
“In parallel, Israeli settlers from nearby outposts [who are] not subjected to eviction – have conducted daily attacks and harassment of Palestinians, including older people, women and children, in order to force them to leave.”
At least 1,200 Palestinians may face the forcible transfer, a war crime and a potential crime against humanity, the organisation said.
Trump pressure could force end to Gaza conflict, as in Iran – but no sign he wants to
With hostilities in Israel’s conflict with Iran coming to a halt following US pressure, attention is shifting back to the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza, and with it the question of whether Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu could be pressured to change course there.
Mairav Zonszein, a senior Israel analyst with the International Crisis Group, tells Al Jazeera that “if Trump wants to, he can get Netanyahu to stop this war.”
But so far, the US has given Israel weapons and impunity “to do whatever it wants” in Gaza.
“I don’t see a US president stopping that, unless he has interests that directly conflict,” she said.
“But for now, with Trump, he’s allowing Israel carte blanche.”
