Dozens of children formed a long line outdoors, carrying containers such as pots, buckets, and makeshift containers to receive food. Photo: AFP.
By Youssef Fares – May 5, 2025
As Gaza enters its seventh week under a near-total blockade, âIsraelâ is facing mounting international pressure over its deliberate starvation strategy. The deepening humanitarian crisis, marked by acute food shortages and rising famine warnings, follows nearly 50 days of âIsraelâ halting the entry of aid and goods into the Strip. While international agencies decry the unfolding catastrophe, Israeli officials and media continue to deflect blame onto Hamas, accusing the group of obstructing aid distribution.
To address the crisis without assuming direct humanitarian or military responsibility, Israeli authorities are now advancing a plan to outsource both delivery and distribution of aid to foreign, primarily US, private firms under Israeli supervision. Central to the proposal is the establishment of a demilitarized âhumanitarian zoneâ in Rafah, where displaced Palestinians would only receive aid after undergoing security checks. Though similar âhumanitarian bubbleâ schemes previously failed in northern Gaza, Israeli officials now point to the 42-day Netzarim checkpoint model â jointly managed by a US company and Egyptian-Qatari forces â as a model. The checkpoint allowed aid to enter Gaza while minimizing “Israelâs” liability and restricting Hamasâs access. Israeli sources suggest that Arab personnel might be deployed again to reduce friction between Palestinians and US staff.
Israeli officials presented this plan to Egyptian mediators during Mondayâs talks in Cairo, which also included a response to Hamasâs latest proposal. According to Egyptian sources, an Israeli reply is expected soon. Parallel Egyptian-Qatari discussions continue around a possible humanitarian truce and a long-term ceasefire framework, ahead of high-level US consultations expected in the coming days. However, US officials reportedly back Israeli efforts to maintain a buffer zone and reduce Gazaâs population density even under a permanent ceasefire â positions that Cairo firmly opposes as incompatible with international proposals for deploying lightly armed Palestinian Authority forces and multinational observers.
Despite the diplomatic activity, ceasefire negotiations remain largely frozen. According to Channel 12, some Arab countries proposed a five-year truce, but Israeli officials dismissed it, fearing it would allow Hamas time to rebuild militarily. KAN reported that this proposal was never formally conveyed through intermediaries.
Hamas: No Partial Truce, Only Comprehensive Deal With War-Ending Guarantees Acceptable
Meanwhile, âIsraelâ continues preparing for further military escalation. The war cabinet convened Monday night for the third time in a week to review expanded ground operation plans. Israel Hayom quoted a senior security source confirming that large-scale reserve mobilization is imminent, citing the collapse of captive negotiations as justification. While some ministers are pressing for immediate escalation, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz are reportedly waiting for a final outcome on the captives deal. Still, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen stated that the US-backed window for diplomacy âhas closedâ and that the time has come to âincrease the pace of fightingâ.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said during a Jerusalem conference that âIsraelâ aims to conclude the war within a year and expects new regional normalization deals to follow a perceived military victory. According to Israel Hayom, Netanyahu hopes to end the war by October or even sooner.
On the ground, military activity continues to intensify. The Israeli army has begun securing areas between the Salah al-Din axis (Philadelphi Corridor) and the newly designated Morag axis in preparation for a ground expansion, following new operational plans by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Over the past 24 hours, at least 72 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes, including 11 members of the Abu Mahadi family in Beit Lahiya and 9 civilians on Al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City.
