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Israel is preparing to resume the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through civilian companies, Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Wednesday, following weeks of halted deliveries and despite no hostage deal being in place.
Speaking during a morning briefing, Katz said the aid would be distributed via "infrastructure operated by civilian companies in the future," signaling a shift in how supplies will enter the enclave. His comments followed a report last week in Ynetnews, which said Israel was expected to allow aid into Gaza within weeks.
Humanitarian deliveries to Gaza have been suspended for more than six weeks amid the collapse of a temporary ceasefire and the freezing of negotiations for a hostage deal. Dozens of aid trucks remain stranded in Egypt after Israel halted access, citing concerns over Hamas’s control of the supplies.
Katz said Israel’s policy on Gaza, led by the military with the support of the political leadership, is “clear and unequivocal”—focused on securing the release of all hostages under the so-called Witkoff framework and laying the groundwork for Hamas’s defeat. He added that halting aid deliveries has undermined Hamas’s grip on the local population.
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Military and political officials have recently concluded that Israel will soon have no choice but to resume the flow of food, fuel and medicine into Gaza. Failure to do so could expose commanders in Israel’s Southern Command and senior defense officials to potential violations of international law.
During the six-week period of the previous hostage deal, Israel allowed a sharp increase in humanitarian deliveries—up to 600 aid trucks a day, three to four times the wartime average of 150 to 200. Much of that aid was seized by Hamas. Security officials have since calculated that the remaining supplies will last only a few more weeks.