ISTANBUL

The Israeli Cabinet has approved a mechanism to allow what it called a “gradual and controlled” entry of goods into the blockaded Gaza Strip via the private sector.

“This aims to increase the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing reliance on aid collection by the UN and international organizations,” COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said a limited number of local merchants were approved as part of the new mechanism.

The move comes amid a tight Israeli blockade that has left Gaza’s 2.4 million population on the verge of famine.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 180 people, including 93 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition since October 2023.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said Monday that Israel had allowed in just 674 aid trucks since July 27 – only 14% of the strip’s minimum daily requirement of 600 trucks.

The Health Ministry said that at least 1,516 aid seekers have been killed and 10,067 others injured by Israeli fire near US-run aid distribution centers in Gaza since May 27.

The Israeli-crafted aid scheme has been widely criticized as being ineffective as well as being a “death trap” for starving civilians.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 61,000 Palestinians, almost half of them women and children. Israel’s military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

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.