Far-right Israeli minister slams aid airdrop for Gaza

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has criticized the resumption of larger aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.

In a post on X, Ben-Gvir described the move as a slap in the face for Israeli soldiers.

The delivery of humanitarian aid is tantamount to “keeping the enemy alive,” Ben-Gvir also wrote.

In the post, he addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly and called for the latest aid deliveries to be stopped.

Ben-Gvir is considered a right-wing hardliner in Netanyahu’s conservative government. He is also in favour of the idea of completely capturing the Gaza Strip and expelling the Palestinian population.

In January he left the government in protest against a temporary ceasefire with the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas. After the resumption of fighting, he was given his post back.

Israel has largely blocked independent aid deliveries for the suffering population in the Gaza Strip for months and has been subjected to massive international criticism as a result.

Now, for the first time, larger aid deliveries have reached the Gaza Strip again.

On Sunday, a convoy of around 100 lorries carrying goods travelled to the sealed-off coastal area, where around 2 million Palestinians live.

Following the resumption of aid deliveries, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel remains committed to achieving its declared war aims. Israel is making progress “in the battle and in the negotiations,” he said.

Nevertheless, the delivery of “minimal humanitarian aid” into the Gaza Strip must be permitted, Netanyahu continued.