Israel plans to ‘flood’ Gaza with humanitarian aid

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has laid out a plan to “flood” Gaza with humanitarian aid. 

Speaking to foreign reporters on Wednesday, Gallant said Israel has now entered a third phase in the war in terms of humanitarian aid, with a focus northern Gaza.

As part of the third phase, Gallant revealed what he called five “major breakthroughs” in aid.

Firstly, the port of Ashdod will open, allowing Israel to increase the entry of goods and streamline security checks.

Israel also approved opening of the Erez border crossing in which will provide a route to bring aid directly to northern Gaza and reduce pressure on Kerem Shalom border crossing in the south.

Aid through Jordan will also be boosted with two routes to Gaza, allowing for 150 trucks in total per day. The fourth breakthrough will be  the establishment of a “Coordination and Deconfliction Cell” which is  part of a wider effort to “increase cooperation with international organisations,
implement lessons learned, and work with new partners.”

Lastly, Israel, working with the U.S., will begin working on infrastructure projects, such as water lines.

“My recent visit to the U.S. was essential in determining next steps and reflecting the link between our operational goals and the humanitarian effort,” Gallant said.

“Two weeks ago I instructed the defense establishment to immediately
increase the influx of aid, especially in light of future operations. Based on
the IDF and COGAT’s recommendations, I presented a series of decisions
to the cabinet,” he added.

Since U.S. President Joe Biden held a tense phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu last week, Israel has doubled the amount of trucks with humanitarian aid entering Gaza every day.

22,000 trucks containing 400,000+ tons of humanitarian aid and 3,961 food packages have been airdropped into Gaza since the war began.

Israel has, however, been under intense criticism for failing to prevent starvation in certain areas of Gaza. Israel, on its part, blame the UN for failing to distribute and secure the aid, with Hamas caught hijacking trucks.

The new plan, Gallant, said, will have a “direct impact on the flow of aid. We plan to flood Gaza with aid and we are expecting to reach 500 trucks
per day. It will also streamline security checks and strengthen our
work with international partners.”