Israeli officials faced growing pressure from key allies in Washington over the past few days to allow more humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip, two sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
Members of the US Congress and Senate, described by Israeli sources as “close allies,” recently urged senior officials in Jerusalem to facilitate the entry of aid. “Help us help you,” they reportedly said. “We don’t believe the claims of widespread famine in Gaza, but you must take concrete steps to allow aid in.”
The message came from both senior Republican lawmakers in Congress and officials in the White House, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue, saying, “It’s terrible to see the children, especially in recent weeks. People are stealing food, stealing money, stealing money meant for food. It’s a mess, the whole place is a mess. Gaza.”
An Israeli official told the Post that it remains unclear how long Israel will continue current humanitarian measures, including maintaining open aid corridors, permitting localized ceasefires, and assisting in air drops. The official indicated these actions would likely remain in place until international criticism subsides.
“Israel failed to counter the false starvation narrative and was forced to take these measures to relieve international pressure,” the official said.
Responding to international criticism
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to growing international criticism, saying that Israel must allow limited humanitarian supplies into Gaza in order to meet two national objectives: dismantling Hamas and securing the release of hostages.
“We’ve done this so far,” Netanyahu said. “But the UN is spreading lies and falsehoods about Israel. They say we don’t allow humanitarian supplies in, yet we do. There are secure corridors. They’ve always existed, but now it’s official. No more excuses.”