Israel vows to continue blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza

Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has reaffirmed that Israel will continue to block the entry of critical humanitarian supplies such as food, medicine, fuel and cooking oil into Gaza, despite mounting international criticism from medical aid groups.

“Israel’s policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza,” Katz said in a statement yesterday. “And blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population.”

He added that there are no current plans or logistical preparations to facilitate the delivery of aid into the besieged enclave.

Israeli Culture Minister, Miki Zohar, reinforced this stance, declaring on X: “The despicable murderers in Gaza deserve no humanitarian assistance from any civilian or military mechanism. Only hellfire should be poured on the makers of terrorism until the last hostage returns from Gaza.”

Israel has maintained a total blockade on aid entering Gaza for over six weeks, and has limited or completely banned the entry of food, water, medicines and fuel one and off since October 2023 when it launched its genocidal campaign against the Strip.

It comes after the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) sounded the alarm on Saturday over a rapidly escalating humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

“All basic supplies are running out in Gaza. It means babies, children are going to bed hungry,” Juliette Touma, the agency’s director of communications, said in a statement.

“Six weeks into the Israeli-imposed siege blocking the entry of aid and commercial supplies, food stocks are nearly gone, bakeries closed, and hunger is spreading,” the agency also noted.

The Israeli occupation army renewed a deadly assault on Gaza on 18 March, shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Israel has killed over 51,000 people in Gaza since October 2023, nearly a third of whom are children.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war on the enclave.

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