Netanyahu Says Israel Will Take Full Control of Gaza as Aid Trucks Wait at Border

Rabat – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israeli forces will “take control of all” of Gaza, as the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue a major offensive across the Palestinian territory.

“We will not give up. We will take control of all the territory of the Strip,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on his Telegram channel. He added that “fighting” in Gaza remains intense but claimed that Israeli forces are “making progress.”

At the same time, Netanyahu claims Israel would allow a “basic” amount of food into Gaza to avoid famine. This comes after pressure from international allies, who warned that images of starving civilians would harm support for Israel.

“We must not let the population sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons,” Netanyahu said. “Even friends of Israel will not tolerate images of mass starvation.”

However, he made it clear that the aid would be minimal and strictly controlled. Netanyahu said Israel would make sure Hamas does not take the food. “We will prevent Hamas from looting the aid,” he said.

The United Nations confirmed that 20 trucks carrying food are waiting at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, ready to enter Gaza.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation inside Gaza is worsening. Rescue workers say Israeli airstrikes killed at least 32 Palestinians on Monday alone.

According to Gaza’s civil defense agency, 11 people were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, and another person died in nearby Abasan. In northern Gaza, five people were killed near a market in Jabaliya. Three members of one family were killed in Nuseirat, and two more died in Gaza City when their tents were hit by IOF airstrikes.

There were also reports of deaths near the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, but ongoing shelling has prevented rescue teams from retrieving the bodies.

Al Jazeera’s reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum said many of those killed were children.

Israel said on Sunday it would ease the strict aid blockade it has enforced since March. The move comes as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar appear to have stalled.

Despite the decision to allow some aid in, Israel continues aggression and attacks across Gaza, with the end of their relentless genocide nowhere in sight.