Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Sunday that the country has fully endorsed US President Donald Trump’s aid plan for Gaza laid out by the American leader’s envoy to Israel.
Israel has blocked aid from entering the Palestinian territory since early March, a move aid groups say has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicine.
Despite fears of looming famine, Israel has denied a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Gaza and said the blockade would place pressure on the resistance group Hamas.
“Israel fully endorses the Trump Administration’s plan presented on Friday by US Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Mike Huckabee,” Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul.
Saar commended the plan saying that it would allow aid to reach civilians directly by-passing Hamas, which he accused of stealing aid and using “it to feed its war machine.”
“During this war, Israel allowed humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and facilitated it but Hamas stole that aid from the people,” the Israeli minister said.
“If the aid continues to go to Hamas and not to the people of Gaza, the war will continue forever,” he added.
He said Israeli soldiers would not take part in distributing the aid, but would ensure its delivery to civilians — echoing Huckabee’s description of the plan.
The US ambassador outlined the plan in Jerusalem on Friday, one day after the US State Department said a new foundation would lead the distribution of humanitarian aid in war-battered Gaza.
The US-led initiative has drawn international criticism for appearing to sideline the United Nations and existing aid organisations, effectively overhauling the current humanitarian structure in Gaza.
But Huckabee called upon the United Nations, “every NGO” and “every government” to take part.
“We invite people who have been concerned about it to join in this process,” he said, expressing hope that the plan could be put into action “very soon”.
He offered no timetable for the aid operation or any further information about the non-governmental foundation that would be involved.
Huckabee, a former Republican state governor and a vocal supporter of Israel, said there were “several partners who have already agreed to be a part of the effort”, without naming them.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said Friday that the US’s plan risked “militarising aid”.
“The Trump administration is eager to improve its image in the region ahead of the scheduled visit,” he said, referring to a scheduled visit to several Gulf states by the US president.