PM said to tell IDF to prepare for possibility of taking over aid distribution in Gaza
Netanyahu hinted at the move during Monday press conference; IDF Chief of Staff Halevi said to oppose it, saying it would unnecessarily endanger soldiers
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the IDF to prepare for the possibility that it will be required to take over the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza from international welfare organizations, Channel 12 reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, Netanyahu recently instructed the IDF to do the necessary staff work to examine the logistics, operational mechanisms and manpower required for the task, which until now has been carried out by international aid organizations.
Netanyahu, in answer to a question at his press conference on Monday, said that Israel was “very close” to dismantling Hamas militarily, “but we still need to deprive it of its capacity to rule. That means we need to find an alternative for all or a considerable part of the distribution of humanitarian aid. We are working on that now, and we will achieve that, because it is part of the ‘day after.’”
In recent consultations, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi was said by Channel 12 to have expressed opposition to the IDF taking on the role of aid distribution, regarding it as inappropriate for the army.
He was said to have warned that it would place soldiers at unnecessary risk, and that such work is precisely what international organizations are set up to undertake.
“Soldiers should not be hurt, heaven forbid, distributing sacks of flour,” an anonymous source familiar with the issue told Channel 12.
The television report noted that the idea had been raised in the past, but was ultimately dropped.
It says such a move would also carry implications for international law, since it would make Israel increasingly responsible for the Gaza Strip. Along with Netanyahu’s stated determination at his press conference to maintain Israeli military control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, it would mean Israel was moving increasingly toward the military governance of Gaza.
It added that according to the IDF’s estimate, full military governance of Gaza would cost Israel some NIS 40 billion (almost $11 billion) annually.
In response to the report, the IDF Spokesman’s office said it does not comment on closed-door discussions, and that the IDF would implement any decision made by the political leadership.
Since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, which erupted in response to the terror group’s invasion and massacre inside southern Israel on October 7, Israel has come under frequent scrutiny from international agencies and aid organizations with regard to access to humanitarian aid in the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli civilian coordination agency for the Palestinians — or COGAT — has accused the United Nations and other bodies of failing to take advantage of the efforts it has implemented to facilitate the provision of aid.
In addition to the difficulty aid groups have said they face in reaching the most war-battered areas of the Gaza Strip, they frequently have to contend with their trucks being hijacked and looted by gunmen from Hamas and other terror groups.
Others still have found themselves in the crosshairs of the bitter war between Israel and Hamas, including in April, when the IDF struck a clearly marked World Central Kitchen aid convoy near Deir al-Balah, killing seven aid workers. Israel’s leaders apologized for what they call a tragic error.
Aid distribution in the Strip was also thrust into the spotlight this past January, when UNRWA, the agency for Palestinian refugees, launched an investigation into allegations that seven of its employees had participated in the October 7 assault. A second investigation into another 12 employees was initiated two months later.
At the end of the investigation in August, the UN said that it had fired nine employees who “may have been involved” in the terror onslaught that saw some 1,200 people slaughtered and 251 seized as hostages.
