Israeli cabinet votes to expand Gaza war and resume aid transfers to Gazans

Security Cabinet votes unanimously to approve plan to expand ground operation in the Gaza Strip, gives preliminary backing to new arrangement for distributing aid to Gazans – over the objections of national security minister.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israel’s Security Cabinet voted early Monday morning to approve the further expansion of the IDF’s ground operations in the Gaza Strip and to give preliminary backing to a new mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, aimed at preventing Hamas from seizing the incoming goods.

The two votes were held after seven hours of deliberations, beginning Sunday night and continuing on past midnight.

While few details have been revealed regarding the expansion of the ground operation in Gaza, the plan is likely to be implemented no earlier than next week, after President Donald Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia for his three-day Middle East tour, including a summit with Gulf Arab leaders.

The Security Cabinet backed the plan to expand the fighting in the Gaza Strip unanimously.

However, one cabinet member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, voted against granting approval to the new aid distribution mechanism, arguing that instead, the IDF should bomb existing food stores in Gaza to enhance pressure on Hamas to release the remaining 59 Israeli hostages.

“I don’t understand why we need to give them humanitarian aid,” Ben-Gvir said. “They have enough food there. We should bomb Hamas’s food storage facilities.”

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir rejected any such action, saying, “These ideas endanger us.”

Under the plan adopted by the security cabinet on Monday morning, the IDF will, at some future date, resume the transfer of aid into Gaza and allow an international humanitarian group to oversee the distribution of the aid, ensuring that Gazan civilians, rather than Hamas terrorists, are the recipients.

Armed private American contractors will safeguard the aid group, according to the proposal.

Monday’s vote does not clear the way for the actual resumption of aid transfers to Gaza, which will require a follow-up vote, but merely gives approval for making arrangements for the new distribution mechanism.

No date has been set for the resumption of aid transfers, though Israeli military intelligence estimates that Gazan food, fuel, and medical supply reserves will begin to run out by the end of the month.

Shin Bet internal security agency chief Ronen Bar, who announced his resignation this coming June after successfully challenging in court a government vote to remove him from office, was absent from the meeting.

The security agency was instead represented by its deputy director.