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Netanyahu blocks aid to northern Gaza after threats from Smotrich

The Israeli prime minister yields to pressure from the far right and orders a halt to humanitarian aid to the northern part of the Strip. Air raids hit schools and camps: at least 21 dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today ordered a total blockade of humanitarian aid to the northern Gaza Strip in response to pressure from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The far-right leader threatened to leave the governing coalition after a video was posted on social media showing armed men seizing aid trucks.

‘Aid continues to end up in the hands of Hamas,’ Smotrich said, calling for an immediate change in the management of the humanitarian crisis. Following his statements, Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that they had instructed the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to draw up a plan within 48 hours to prevent aid from being stolen by Hamas.

‘We have received reliable information that Hamas is once again taking control of aid entering the northern Gaza Strip and stealing it from civilians,’ they said in a joint statement.

Massacre of civilians under Israeli raids
Meanwhile, the Israeli air offensive continues with a heavy toll. Local health authorities report that at least 21 Palestinians were killed today in various attacks in the Gaza Strip.

Nine people died in an attack that hit a school sheltering displaced persons in the Sheikh Radwan suburb of Gaza City. Another nine civilians were killed near a tent camp in Khan Yunis, in the south of the enclave.

Three more victims were reported along one of the main roads in central Gaza, where a crowd was waiting for UN aid trucks. Local doctors also report dozens of wounded.

Negotiations remain stalled
The new escalation further complicates the fragile mediation efforts underway. Diplomatic sources have confirmed that international mediators are attempting to restart talks between Israel and Hamas for a new ceasefire, but the worsening situation on the ground risks causing them to fail once again.

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