The arrival of the first maritime humanitarian aid shipment in Gaza coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s approval of a ground offensive in the Palestinian city of Rafah, which houses 1.4 refugees.
World Central Kitchen (WCK), the US charity behind the mission, is carrying out the mission in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The shipment contains 200 tonnes of food desperately needed for Gaza. The UN says Gaza is on the brink of famine.
Aid agencies have accused Israel of impeding aid deliveries, a charge vehemently denied by Israeli officials. They say Israel is allowing aid through two crossings in the south and has blamed aid agencies of logistical failures.
In an other development on Saturday, the Israeli prime minister approved plans for an attack on Rafah. At least 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter in Rafah amid the ongoing Israeli attacks.
On the other hand, Israeli is planning to send a team to truce talks in Qatar after mocking a ceasefire proposal by Hamas as “ridiculous”.
Israel’s allies and critics warned Netanyahu against the invasion of Rafah fearing mass civilian casualties, but the Israeli government claims the area in southern Gaza is one of the last strongholds of Hamas, which it has vows to eliminate.
Hamas had presented a new ceasefire plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza that includes the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Reports say it would be a three-phased truce, with each stage lasting 42 days.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office late on Friday said the Israeli military was “preparing operationally and for the evacuation of the population” of Rafah. However, it gave no timeframe and there was no immediate evidence of extra preparations on the ground.
