Gaza Receives First Sea Aid Delivery

The initial sea delivery of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s endorsement of a ground incursion into Rafah, a Palestinian city accommodating 1.4 million refugees.

World Central Kitchen (WCK), a US-based charitable organization, in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is executing this operation, transporting 200 tons of urgently required food supplies for Gaza, which the UN reports is teetering on the edge of famine.

Read more: US Exercises Veto, Blocking Gaza Ceasefire

Despite accusations from aid groups that Israel is obstructing aid shipments, Israeli authorities vehemently deny these claims. They assert that Israel permits aid passage through two southern crossings and attribute any logistical challenges to the aid agencies.

Simultaneously, on Saturday, the Israeli prime minister greenlit plans for an offensive in Rafah, where over 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge amidst ongoing Israeli assaults.

Conversely, Israel intends to send a delegation to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, following derision of a ceasefire proposal by Hamas as “absurd.”

Amidst warnings from both allies and critics against the Rafah invasion due to potential civilian casualties, the Israeli government contends that the area in southern Gaza serves as one of Hamas’s last bastions, which it is committed to eradicating.

Hamas has put forth a new ceasefire initiative to halt Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, which includes releasing Israeli prisoners in exchange for Palestinian captives. This proposal reportedly entails a three-phase truce, each phase spanning 42 days.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office on Friday evening indicated military preparations and potential civilian evacuations in Rafah. However, no specific timeframe was provided, and there were no immediate indications of heightened ground activities.