TEL
AVIV — In a time when Israelis feel that their government is in disarray in
dealing with humanitarian aid to Gaza, managing a policy riddled with
contradictions, the far-right within and outside the government is demanding a
halt to this aid, "fearing it might save Hamas," according to Finance
Minister Tzvi Smotrich, seen by some as clinging to a policy of using
starvation as a weapon in war. Former Navy commander Brigadier General Yehiezer
Marom also criticized the idea of establishing a special maritime dock for
aid entry, operated by the United States and the UAE, which recently began
operations.
اضافة اعلان
Marom,
based on his 30 years of experience in the Navy, stated that this dock aims at
"a sinister goal of lifting the blockade on Gaza" in place since
2010, part of Israel's policy to ensure control over the waters from Ras
al-Naqoura to Rafah, as well as in the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, Al-Ghad
reported.
In
radio statements on Sunday, he added that he sees this dock as a threat to
Israel's strategic national security. He emphasized that the talk about
Israel's ability to monitor these aids and secure their maritime path is
incorrect and unprofessional "because Israel cannot ensure such
protection, and infiltrating the path via small boats is possible and
straightforward."
He
continued, "Hamas currently controls 70 percent of the aid entering Gaza.
Therefore, the military achievements achieved by the army in breaking the
movement and the blood that its soldiers and officers pay for them are wasted
by the decision to break the siege and provide aid."
Increasing challenges
Netanyahu's
office announced its intention to appoint a special official in his office to
address the growing challenges facing humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza,
working directly under his supervision to lead these operations. Political
sources say this step comes following increasing international criticism and
pressure from Western countries expressing concerns about a civilian
catastrophe in Gaza, particularly from the United States, which showed strong
signs of concern last week.
Israel
also seeks to improve its international image by facilitating the aid delivery
process, while facing significant challenges due to the chaos resulting from
multiple aid-cutting authorities like Germany, France, the United States,
Morocco, Jordan, and the UAE.
Netanyahu's contradictions
These
sources say that Netanyahu resorted to this step to counter the pressures
exerted by his Defense Minister, Ya'alon Galant, and the two ministers in the
War Cabinet, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, as well as army leaders demanding
the involvement of the Palestinian Authority and figures from Fatah
organization in aid distribution in Gaza. Netanyahu strongly opposes this idea.
"Yedioth
Ahronoth" newspaper revealed that Netanyahu instructed Minister of
Strategic Affairs Ron Dremer to search for solutions to deal with the aid
through international cooperation alternative to the UN Relief and Works Agency
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Netanyahu
consistently takes contradictory positions in this regard, approving military
plans on the one hand and rejecting their recommendations on the other. He also
submits to his far-right allies while succumbing again to American and
international pressures. For example, he allows aid convoys to enter Gaza but
also defends the army's practices of shooting at hungry and thirsty people
flocking to relief trucks, resulting in the deaths of 440 individuals so far,
according to Palestinian reports naming them "Flour Martyrs."
Insufficient aid
On
the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in the
Palestinian government in Ramallah welcomed all efforts to deliver aid to the
people in Gaza. The Ministry emphasized in a statement on Sunday that the aid
received is insufficient compared to the enormous humanitarian needs of
Palestinian civilians in the region, including their need for comprehensive and
sustainable relief, as well as their basic humanitarian needs for water,
medicine, health centers, electricity, and family reunification due to the
forced displacement imposed by Israel on Gaza residents after destroying large
parts of the sector.
The
Ministry called for the necessity of opening all crossings and continuing the
flow of aid by land, sea, and air, linking continuous relief campaigns with a
genuine international effort leading to an immediate ceasefire "so that
aid entry is not exploited by any Israeli manipulation to prolong the war and
complete the annihilation of our people and their displacement, especially
since citizens are paying with their lives to obtain flour and any other food
items."
The
Ministry emphasized the importance of the UN Security Council showing enough
courage to make a binding UN decision to immediately cease fire, warning
against any Israeli plans to create a state of internal chaos in northern Gaza
to push citizens towards displacement, and any preparations to expand its
aggression in Rafah governorate, which poses catastrophic risks to the lives of
more than 1.5 million Palestinians trapped in a small geographic area due to
continuous bombardment and displacement in a tight death circle due to the
absence of any safe place in Gaza.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
