JERUSALEM/CAIRO: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday (May 19) Israel would control the whole of Gaza despite mounting international pressure that forced it to lift a blockade on aid supplies which has left the enclave on the brink of famine.
The Israeli military, which announced the start of a new operation on Friday, warned residents of the southern city of Khan Younis on Monday to evacuate to the coast immediately as it prepared “an unprecedented attack”.
“There is huge fighting going on, intense and huge, we are going to control all parts of Gaza,” Netanyahu said in a video message in which he pledged to achieve “complete victory” with both the release of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza and the destruction of the Palestinian militant group.
Even as the military warned of the attack, Reuters reporters saw aid trucks heading towards northern Gaza after Netanyahu was forced to agree to allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza in response to global concern at the reports of famine.
Netanyahu said US senators he has known for years as supporters of Israel, “our best friends in the world”, were telling him the scenes of hunger were draining vital support and bringing Israel close to a “red line, to a point where we might lose control”.
“It is for that reason, in order to achieve victory, we have to somehow solve the problem,” he said, in a message apparently addressed to far-right hardliners in his government who have insisted aid be denied to Gaza to stop it reaching Hamas.
Overnight, Israeli air strikes killed at least 20 Palestinians, according to local medics, as the military said it hit 160 targets across Gaza over the past 24 hours, including anti-tank positions, underground infrastructure and a weapons storage point.
The Israeli military said forces engaged in a new campaign dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” were active across Gaza, seeking to eliminate Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and bring back remaining hostages seized in October 2023.
Netanyahu’s office announced the easing of the aid blockade, saying Israel would let in limited amounts of food into Gaza.
Palestinian media said 50 trucks carrying flour, cooking oil and legumes would be allowed into the small coastal territory later on Monday, while Israeli media said nine trucks with baby food were expected to enter in coming hours.
Israel has faced rising international pressure over the blockade on humanitarian deliveries it imposed in March, shortly before breaking a two-month-old ceasefire, as aid agencies warn of famine in the enclave of 2.3 million people.
Nahed Shheibar, owner of a transport company involved in aid distribution, urged Gazans not to intercept or loot the trucks.
