Posted on 04/16/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Defense Minister Israel Katz published a clarification on Wednesday stating that there is no intention to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip at this time, following severe criticism from within the coalition.
In his statement, Katz clarified: "Israel's policy is clear - no humanitarian aid is set to enter Gaza, and preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza is a key pressure tool that prevents Hamas from using means against the population, in addition to other measures Israel is taking. It's unfortunate that some are trying to mislead the public."
"No one in the current reality intends to bring any humanitarian aid to Gaza, nor are there preparations to bring any such aid. I emphasized that regarding the future, a mechanism must be built for the use of civilian companies as a tool that will not allow Hamas access to the issue even in the future."
Earlier today, Katz presented the principles of Israel's policy in the campaign in the Gaza Strip. As part of the effort to change the reality on the ground, he clarified that Israel is acting to stop the humanitarian aid that harms Hamas's control over the local population and is promoting a new distribution infrastructure through civilian companies. In the minister's statement, it was noted that Israel is preparing to "create infrastructure for distribution through civilian companies in the future."
The announcement triggered strong reactions from within the coalition. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed strong opposition and said: "It's a shame that we are not learning from mistakes. As long as our captives are languishing in tunnels, there is no reason for even a gram of food or any aid to enter Gaza. Stopping the aid is one of the central pressure mechanisms on Hamas, and returning it before Hamas is on its knees and releases all our hostages would be a historic mistake."
He added: "I will do everything in my power to ensure that this historic mistake does not happen, and I call on the Prime Minister and Defense Minister not to take this foolish step that will harm the ability to defeat Hamas and safely return all our captives."
Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar stated: "The despicable murderers in Gaza do not deserve any humanitarian aid either through civil or military mechanisms, only fiery retaliation against the terrorists until our last brothers and sisters in captivity return home safely."
MK Tzvi Succot (Religious Zionism) said: "There is no reason in the world to bring a gram of aid to Gaza while our captives are languishing in captivity. Certainly not when Hamas is violating every possible international law and there are captives who need urgent medical treatment. Humanitarian aid should be only in exchange for humanitarian measures and even then, never to Hamas."
Later, Succot wrote: "I understand that this is a false report and there is no intention to renew aid to Gaza. The Defense Minister (whom I greatly respect) issued a statement that preparations are being made to establish such a mechanism in case we need to bring aid in the future and then it will not happen through Hamas as it did in a criminal way in the past. We continue on the path to victory and the return of the captives."
Minister Ben-Gvir wrote after Minister Katz's clarification: "I greatly respect Defense Minister Israel Katz and trust his actions. His clarification that in the current reality no humanitarian aid should be brought to Gaza and no preparations are being made to bring any such aid is very important. However, since I know that there are other parties that want to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, I request Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold a discussion in the Security Cabinet and bring a vote on whether the State of Israel will resume bringing aid to the Gaza Strip while our captives are in their tunnels."