In dramatic pivot, Israel says it will ‘flood’ Gaza with humanitarian aid

The decision comes after intense international pressure, in the face of humanitarian crisis, diminishing hope of ceasefire and new intelligence reports that Hamas is far from vanquished.

Israel has promised to “flood” Gaza with humanitarian aid, in a dramatic move which responds to international pressure to alleviate the crisis in the war-torn region.

Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari told media on Wednesday evening that the IDF is working on opening up multiple routes to Gaza by land, sea and air.

The decision comes after intense international pressure on the Netanyahu government.

In his State of the Union address, US president Joe Biden warned Israel that humanitarian aid could not be used as a bargaining chip, and in London UK foreign secretary David Cameron told visiting minister Benny Gantz that Israel needs to do much more to alleviate the hunger in the Gaza Strip. Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong also warned this week that Israel would lose support if it did not change course.

To enable aid delivery by road, Israel had established a route via Route 96, a new road built by the IDF south of Gaza city. The first delivery occurred on Tuesday night when six trucks of supplies entered Gaza.  

Israel is also promising security support and co-ordination for a raft of international humanitarian initiatives to Gaza, including an aid ship now en route from Cyprus, which is a pilot for a future maritime corridor; a floating pier, which the US plans to build, and future air drops of supplies from the US, Jordan and other countries.