Israel says coordinating with US firm on Gaza aid distribution

Israel is coordinating with a US firm to distribute humanitarian aid in the war-torn Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

The minister said the aid distribution may start on May 24, without providing any further details.

Since March 2, Israel has kept Gaza crossings closed to food, medical, and humanitarian aid, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to government, human rights, and international reports.

Earlier this month, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved an aid delivery plan for the Palestinians in war-torn Gaza through private US security contractors based on handing over aid boxes to individuals.

The Israeli plan, however, has been rejected by the UN and dozens of international aid groups, saying it runs against humanitarian principles, is logistically unworkable, and could put Palestinian civilians and staffers in harm’s way.

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The Palestinian resistance group Hamas also decried the Israeli plan as “political blackmail” and “a violation of international law.”

Nearly 2.4 million people in Gaza live completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data.

The Israeli army has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 53,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

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

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