Israel has been trying to pressure Hamas for months by simultaneously threatening a major new ground offensive in Gaza and cutting off aid to the territory.
The Israeli government made a U-turn yesterday and allowed several food trucks into Gaza. Although it has stepped up its war rhetoric and airstrikes in recent days, the Israeli military has not yet launched a long-awaited ground offensive that would involve thousands of soldiers.
The lack of strategic clarity reflects disagreements within Israel's political leadership about national priorities, writes the New York Times.
When it comes to aid, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must balance between right-wing political allies, who oppose sending food to Gaza, and foreign partners, including the Donald Trump administration, who fear the blockade would lead to famine.
The hesitancy over a ground invasion reflects Netanyahu's need to appease far-right cabinet ministers, who advocate a complete reoccupation of Gaza, and Israeli generals, who believe such a move would be unsustainable and dangerous for the hostages held by Hamas, the American newspaper points out.
"Netanyahu, as always, would rather buy time than make a decision," said Daniel B. Shapiro, former US ambassador to Israel.
“While far-right ministers want permanent control of Gaza, the military leadership doubts the feasibility of a permanent occupation, given concerns about the reservists’ unwillingness to carry it out in the long term and concerns about the fate of the hostages,” added Shapiro, now a fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.
The postponement of the ground operation, according to the Times, is also a consequence of the Israeli side waiting to see how Hamas will react to a new and intense round of ceasefire negotiations, with increased pressure from the Trump administration for the two sides to reach a ceasefire.
Israel is pressuring Hamas to release more hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, while Hamas insists on a permanent deal. Israel, on the other hand, is counting on the fear of losing more territory to Hamas to agree to less.
“Everything has to be seen in the context of negotiations for a new ceasefire and a hostage agreement,” said Shira Efron, research director at the Israel Policy Forum, a New York-based think tank.
"Israel has launched a new ground operation, but everything can still be reversed," said Dr. Efron. "For now, it is a negotiating tool - additional pressure on Hamas to give in to the negotiations."
Just as the postponement of the ground operation gives negotiators more time to reach a compromise, the shift in aid policy gives Israel more time to continue bombing Gaza, the Times writes.
The postponement of the ground operation is also a consequence of Israel waiting to see how Hamas will react to a new and intense round of ceasefire negotiations.
In recent days, the Trump administration, a key Israeli ally, has joined a number of foreign leaders who have warned of the danger of famine in Gaza.
Netanyahu said the resumption of aid deliveries was a response to such criticism and an attempt to preserve foreign support for Israel's military campaign.
“We must not reach the point of starvation, neither as a real situation nor as a diplomatic problem,” Netanyahu said in a video address posted online. Without renewed aid, he said, Israel “simply will not have the support and we will not be able to achieve victory,” he added.
The Times states that this is a shift in tone that was unthinkable until a few days ago.
The leaders of Britain, France and Canada warned yesterday that their countries would take action if Israel did not halt its renewed military offensive in Gaza and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid, Reuters reported.
Israel has been preventing food and fuel from reaching Gaza since March, even though aid organizations and some Israeli soldiers have warned that the territory is on the brink of famine.
The Israeli government has rejected these claims, saying that there are enough food supplies in Gaza to avoid starvation. If aid is resumed, Israel has said that a new private company would take over distribution, bypassing both the United Nations, which has been handling the distribution, and Hamas, which has been accused of stealing and profiting from the aid.
But Israel yesterday again asked the United Nations to resume its humanitarian program, the UN said. The private firm set to replace the UN, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is not yet fully operational, so Israel must continue to rely on assistance from existing humanitarian agencies.
The shift in aid policy highlights Netanyahu's balancing act between opposing demands, Dr. Efron said.
“Netanyahu is trying to do a little bit of everything,” she said. “By announcing a major ground operation, he is showing his base that he is doing something. By announcing the renewal of aid, he is responding to pressure from the Trump administration, while at the same time buying more time for hostage negotiations.”
More than 500 Palestinians killed in eight days
Netanyahu declared yesterday that Israel will take control of all of Gaza.
The Israeli army, which announced the start of a new operation on Friday, warned residents of the southern town of Khan Younis yesterday to immediately evacuate to the coast because it is preparing an "unprecedented attack", Reuters reported.
“There is a huge battle going on, intense and large, we will take control of all parts of Gaza... but we must do it in a way that cannot be stopped,” Netanyahu said in a video message. He said Israel would achieve a “complete victory,” including the release of 58 hostages and the destruction of the Palestinian militant group.
Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 40 Palestinians yesterday, according to local medics, while the military said it hit 160 targets, including anti-tank positions, underground infrastructure and a weapons depot, as part of an operation it dubbed "Gideon's Chariot."
Palestinian health officials say more than 500 people have been killed in attacks in the past eight days, since Israel stepped up its military campaign.
Sources on both sides say no progress has been made in a new round of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar.
Former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who left the government last year after a clash with Netanyahu, said that the fact that Hamas remains present in Gaza represents a "serious failure" of the Israeli campaign and reflects the government's inability to plan for the future of the enclave.
Netanyahu said the ceasefire talks touched on the issue of a new ceasefire and a hostage agreement, as well as a proposal to end the war in exchange for the expulsion of Hamas fighters and the demilitarization of Gaza - conditions that Hamas had previously rejected.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri accused Israel of the lack of progress in the negotiations and said that intensifying the Israeli offensive would constitute a "death sentence" for the remaining hostages.
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