Under Pressure, Israel Reopens Gaza Aid Route — But on Its Own Terms

Yesterday, Israel’s right-wing government reopened the door to humanitarian aid for Gaza, reversing a two-month halt that followed the collapse of a hostage deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a modest flow: nine trucks carrying flour, medicine, and baby food through Kerem Shalom, in contrast to the 600 trucks that once poured in daily during a ceasefire.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed with the decision, calling it the “bare minimum,” a temporary measure until May 24, when a new US-led system takes over. It’s a decision steeped in strategy, not sentiment, and it’s walking a razor’s edge.

The new plan, led by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) under US envoy Steve Witkoff, aims to change things up, in a big way.

American ex-special forces, already briefed and geared up in Israel, will distribute weekly food packages at IDF-secured sites, bypassing Hamas’s grasp.

Ynet offered a first glimpse of these operatives: armed, vested, braced for a warzone. The goal is to starve Hamas of its aid-siphoning lifeline while feeding Gaza’s desperate civilians. For now, though, the old UN-run system creaks along, a flawed setup that’s let Hamas seize supplies to hoard or sell.

Netanyahu sidestepped a cabinet vote, knowing he’d lose.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir pushed for one, but most ministers opposed the aid. Backed by National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who deemed a vote unnecessary, Netanyahu pressed forward.

The stakes are raw: Up to 24 living hostages remain in Gaza’s shadows. Liri Albag, freed from captivity after being kidnapped from Nahal Oz on October 7, recalled surviving on a quarter-pita and salty water when aid dried up. A humanitarian activist noted last December that if Hamas lacks flour, hostages go hungry, as captors prioritize their own families.

Yet Eli Sharabi, another survivor from Be’eri, whose wife and daughters were killed, told the UN that Hamas gorged on UN aid while captives starved. “They ate like kings,” he said, “and we got nothing.”

The move wasn’t born in a vacuum. US President Donald Trump, fresh from Middle East talks, pressed Netanyahu to act, warning of Gaza’s starvation. “We need to be good to Gaza,” he said, echoed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and allies like Germany and the UK.

Hungary and the Czech Republic also urged relief to blunt anti-Israel sentiment. Netanyahu admitted to “heavy pressure” from Republicans and Trump himself. The UN warns two million Gazans face hunger; nearly 470,000 endure “catastrophic” starvation, scavenging herbs like mallow to survive. (Then and again, they claim a lot of things, many of which are completely nonsensical inventions.)

Israel’s betting on this fragile lifeline to weaken Hamas, free captives, and keep the world at bay. Whether it holds is anyone’s call.

Ynet contributed to this article.