PM says all aid to Gaza is checked by Israeli security officials, helps war aims

The Prime Minister’s Office issues a statement reiterating that any humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza will help its military efforts and is being checked before entry.

“The humanitarian aid allows Israel an important area of activity to reach its war aims,” the PMO says, noting that the aid in question is not coming from Israel, but from international sources, entering via Egypt. Israeli officials have said that enhancing the amount of aid in the southern Gaza Strip will further convince civilians to move out of the north.

The PMO says that the aid is food and medicine that is physically checked by Israeli security sources before it enters.

“All of the deliveries are designated for the civilian population — if it comes to light that they are being taken by Hamas, they will stop,” the statement adds.

Earlier, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the US is working toward a plan to greatly increase the amount of aid entering Gaza.

“This first phase that we talked to the Israelis about is trying to get it up to about 100 [truckloads] a day,” Kirby said earlier today, adding that around 45 had got through yesterday. “We’re confident that we can get there in coming days.”