JERUSALEM / ANKARA
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar claimed on Sunday that the army will only “secure” the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip but will not take part in distributing it amid a stifling siege on the enclave.
The military “will not distribute the aid but will work to secure its transfer to Gaza,” Sa’ar told a joint press conference with his new German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, in West Jerusalem.
His comments came just two days after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced the launch of an American humanitarian effort for Gaza during a press event at the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
Huckabee confirmed that President Donald Trump had directed his team to “make every effort” to deliver aid to Palestinian civilians.
Sa’ar voiced full support for Trump’s plan to facilitate aid deliveries to Gaza, a move Israeli officials have promoted as part of their broader push to evacuate civilians from northern Gaza, raising concerns about forced displacement.
Since March 2, Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings closed to food, medical, and humanitarian aid, deepening an already humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to government, human rights, and international reports.
Nearly 2.4 million people in Gaza live completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data.
Figures released by Gaza’s government media office showed that at least 57 Palestinians have died of starvation since October 2023.
According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), hundreds of thousands of Palestinians eat only one meal every two or three days amid Israel’s crippling blockade.
More than 52,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November 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.