Israel Says It Will Allow Humanitarian Aid From Egypt Into Gaza

It's not clear when the aid will be able to enter Gaza

The Israeli government agreed to allow the entry of some trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egypt into Gaza amid its relentless attack on the besieged enclave.

Gaza has been under a “complete siege” after Israel cut off all electricity, food, fuel, and water going into the enclave following the October 7 Hamas attack. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it approved the plan to let some aid in after a request from President Biden, who was in Israel on Wednesday.

“In light of President Biden’s request, Israel will not prevent the flow of humanitarian aid from Egypt as long as it is food, water and medical supplies for the Palestinian population in the southern Gaza strip and as long as it doesn’t go to Hamas. Any aid diverted to Hamas will be prevented,” the office said.

A senior Israeli official told Axios that “Biden asked that Israel allow the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza and explained it would help in maintaining international support for the operation against Hamas.”

According to AP, Egypt needs to repair roads across the border in Gaza that were damaged by Israeli airstrikes. Biden said an initial group of 20 aid trucks will be let in, and White House officials said the earliest the trucks will start moving into Gaza is Friday. In the meantime, Gazans are drinking contaminated water, and many families have cut their food consumption to one meal per day, leading to UN warnings of the risk of starvation starvation.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.