Israeli military preparing to distribute aid to Gazans – report

Israeli prime minister reportedly instructs IDF to gear up for possibility it will be tasked with distributing aid in the Gaza Strip.

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility it will be tasked with distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Channel 12 reported Tuesday.

According to the report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the IDF to gear up for a scenario in which it must take over the work of distributing aid in Gaza from international aid groups, which are currently overseeing the distribution of goods in the coastal enclave.

In keeping with his instructions, the report claimed, the Israeli military is now assessing the logistical demands for such an operation and drawing up plans to step in should the need arise.

Israel, Netanyahu told reporters Monday, will need to find a new arrangement for overseeing the distribution of aid in Gaza once Hamas has been dismantled, alluding to the possibility the IDF itself could take on the role.

“We still need to deprive [Hamas] of its capacity to rule,” Netanyahu said. “That means we need to find an alternative for all or a considerable part of the distribution of humanitarian aid. We are working on that now, and we will achieve that, because it is part of the ‘day after.’”

But Netanyahu’s backup plan for the IDF to step in to the role of aid distributor has drawn opposition among the top brass, with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly pushing back on the possibility of the military administering aid transfers in Gaza.

Halevi is said to have warned that such an operation would place IDF soldiers in vulnerable positions in Gaza.

One anonymous official cited in the report also rejected the plan, saying: “Soldiers should not be hurt, heaven forbid, distributing sacks of flour.”