Amid right-wing criticism in Israel over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza, sources involved in the policy shift rejected claims it was a concession to external pressure. Speaking to Israel Hayom, they insisted the move was essential to sustaining military operations against Hamas.
Israeli officials clarified that the expanded aid corridors and recent airdrops were not a response to a media campaign, but to realities on the ground shaped by nearly two years of war. Over the weekend, Israel also intensified its dispute with the United Nations, accusing the organization of delaying hundreds of aid trucks for weeks. Those bottlenecks, officials said, began easing in recent days.
"When the IDF creates humanitarian corridors, it removes the UN's excuses for failing to deliver aid we had already approved," said one Israeli official. He noted that the chaos surrounding the aid convoys highlighted both a severe shortage and rising prices, necessitating the aid. "There's a real humanitarian need, alongside perceptual and diplomatic considerations, but Israel has not compromised any of its core principles in the war."
Responding to criticism from within the coalition, an official close to Netanyahu said: "Israel has always worked to prevent hunger in Gaza, and that's still the case today. We are addressing the need to avoid a famine situation."
According to Israeli data, the UN managed to bring in about 400 trucks since the weekend, out of roughly 900 that had been waiting at border crossings. The pace is expected to continue, facilitated by IDF-controlled corridors where the military is not actively operating.
Contrary to comments from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir opposing the aid, another cabinet minister said: "We should never have reached this point. We should have acted earlier to avoid the negative optics internationally." Still, officials in Jerusalem acknowledged that the latest decision was aimed at alleviating pressure from the White House and US President Donald Trump.
Within Netanyahu's decision-making circle, the prevailing sentiment is that maintaining US support for Israel's military operations requires humanitarian gestures to preserve international legitimacy. "The starvation campaign is harming our image globally, including in America. We cannot allow starvation in Gaza because operationally, we would be unable to continue fighting," one source told Israel Hayom. "That has always been the guiding principle. We haven't retreated from it. We still have surprises in store for Hamas, and we must preserve our operational freedom."
