IDF says more than 230 aid trucks have entered northern Gaza in past 9 days

The IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), responsible for aid distribution in Gaza, announced on Tuesday that 237 trucks with humanitarian aid have entered northern Gaza over the past nine days. The inflow of humanitarian assistance comes after Israel had reportedly imposed a two-week blockage on northern Gaza to isolate and eliminate the remaining Hamas operatives in the area.

Israel's announcement followed the Biden administration's recent threat to cut military aid.

COGAT noted that after the United States warned Israel on Oct. 13, the humanitarian trucks have transported “food, water, medical supplies and shelter equipment from Jordan and the international community” into northern Gaza.

“The IDF, via COGAT, will continue to act in accordance with international law to facilitate and ease the humanitarian response to the Gaza Strip,” COGAT said in an official statement.

Following security checks to ensure that no weapons were being smuggled to Hamas forces, the aid was transferred via the Allenby Crossing and the Port of Ashdod to the Erez West crossing on the border between Israel and Gaza.

The Biden administration has reportedly been concerned that Israel was implementing the “General’s Plan,” an alleged military plan to starve all remaining Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza by withholding deliveries of humanitarian aid into the area. At the same time, Israeli authorities urged civilians in Gaza's north to move further south, away from the combat zone.

The Israeli military denied the accusations but refrained from making a public statement on the issue.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, reportedly urged him to reject any plans to place a military siege on northern Gaza.

Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to the U.S. demands in private.

“We said, okay, then you should go to greater lengths to say that publicly,” a Biden administration official told media representatives.

“They recognize the seriousness with which we have expressed our concern about the current situation and are committed to responding to it and acting upon requests,” the official added.

There are disagreements in Israel concerning the inflow of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, the head of Israel's intelligence agency, opposes a large increase in humanitarian aid to northern Gaza believing it might prolong the war in Gaza. However, Bar said he would support a “minimum” amount of aid under international law to alleviate the situation for the civilian population.

Bar and other Israeli officials hope that a hardline approach will eventually pressure Hamas to surrender and agree to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Germany has also expressed concerns about the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock recently told her Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, that “the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza makes it very hard to defend [Israel] internationally.”

This concern is complicated by the fact that Hamas deliberately embeds itself within civilian areas, a tactic widely condemned under international law as a war crime.