Israeli Defense Minister Vows No Humanitarian Aid Will Enter Gaza
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on Wednesday that no humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza, explicitly using the blockade as a tool to pressure Hamas.
This decision, alongside Israel’s indefinite military occupation of captured Gaza territories, has drawn widespread condemnation for worsening the already dire humanitarian crisis afflicting 2.4 million Palestinians.
Aid Blockade as Collective Punishment
Katz openly described the aid restrictions as a deliberate strategy to weaken Hamas’s influence. He said in a statement:
Israel’s policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz
In place since March 2, this blockade has choked off essential supplies, including food, medical resources, and fuel, leaving Gaza’s population in desperate straits.
The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has also warned:
OCHA reported that no aid has reached Gaza for over six weeks, forcing relief workers to ration dwindling stocks amid skyrocketing needs.
Military Occupation and Escalating Death Toll
Katz further announced that Israeli forces will indefinitely occupy captured Gaza areas, labeled “security zones,” intensifying the Palestinian population’s suffering.
This follows the collapse of a January 19 ceasefire, which unraveled two months later over unresolved disputes.
The renewed Israeli offensive has unleashed devastating violence. According to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera, at least 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Wednesday, including 10 in a single strike on Gaza City.
The Gaza Government Media Office reported over 61,700 deaths, with thousands more presumed dead under rubble, as part of what many describe as a systematic genocide targeting Palestinian civilians, infrastructure, and survival.
Global Outcry Amid Mass Displacement
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have decried Gaza’s catastrophic conditions, with hundreds of thousands displaced and critical shortages threatening lives.
The closure of border crossings, including Rafah, has paralyzed aid efforts.
As international demands intensify for Israel to end its blockade and respect Palestinian rights, Katz’s uncompromising stance risks further entrenching Gaza’s humanitarian disaster, drawing sharp criticism for prioritizing political aims over human lives.