Netanyahu Announces New Gaza Aid Plan Amid Ceasefire Deadlock And Famine Fears

Amid mounting international pressure and condemnation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a new humanitarian delivery system for Gaza will be implemented in the next few days. Netanyahu has insisted that the battle will go on until Hamas releases all captives, cedes authority, and implements a contentious relocation plan put out by U.S. President Donald Trump. The statement comes as efforts to negotiate a ceasefire have faltered.

According to Netanyahu, Israel eventually intends to create a "sterile zone" in Gaza-an area devoid of Hamas-where displaced citizens who have been displaced multiple times during the fight will be transferred and given humanitarian relief.

The Trump-supported plan calls for the Palestinians to leave Gaza and give the United States authority over the region. Both the Palestinian leadership and the great majority of the international community have strongly denounced this scheme.

After over three months of a total embargo that stopped the entry of food, medication, gasoline, and other necessities, Israel has finally permitted hundreds of relief trucks to enter Gaza in response to mounting international pressure. On the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom border, the majority of the aid is still halted.

The majority of the aid that has arrived since Monday has been placed onto UN trucks, but those trucks have not been able to exit the border area, according to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. Citing security concerns, he stated that the Israeli military-approved route was considered too risky to travel.

More than a dozen relief vehicles did, according to a later UN official, make it out of the crossing and arrive at warehouses in central Gaza by Wednesday evening. Since they were not permitted to speak to the media, the official asked to remain anonymous.

Israel reported that 100 trucks had crossed into Gaza on Wednesday. Despite this development, humanitarian experts continue to warn of an impending famine in the enclave unless the blockade is lifted. Food insecurity is worsening rapidly, with widespread malnutrition and hunger. Most aid groups have exhausted their food supplies, and communal kitchens serving Gaza's 2.3 million residents are nearly out of provisions.

With Inputs from AP