From the Liveblog of
Friday, February 23, 2024
Israel agrees to release US flour shipment for Gaza after blocking its delivery for one month — official
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Israel has agreed to a new arrangement that will allow for a massive American shipment of flour for Gazan civilians to move forward after far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich blocked its transfer for over a month, a US official tells The Times of Israel.
Under the new arrangement, the flour capable of feeding 1.5 million Gazans for five months will be ferried into Gaza by the World Food Program, rather than the UNRWA relief agency for Palestinian refugees, the official says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu privately informed the Biden administration that Israel approved the shipment in early January. The White House announced the development on January 19, as it came under increasing pressure to do more to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But more than one month later, the flour has yet to enter Gaza.
The shipment arrived at Israel’s Ashdod Port, but Smotrich blocked its transfer to UNRWA, which came under fire last month over allegations that 12 of its staffers participated in the October 7 terror onslaught.
The delay has angered the Biden administration, which has repeatedly noted in recent weeks that Israel the commitments it made to the president.
With the new arrangement finalized, the shipment can move forward immediately, the US official says.
However, even if the flour does make it to Gaza, it is unclear whether it will be distributed to civilians.
Recent days have seen the distribution of humanitarian aid largely ground to a halt due to Hamas police’s refusal to secure the trucks delivering the assistance through Gaza because they have repeatedly come under Israeli fire.
