PM Netanyahu fends off criticism of aid renewal; IDF calls to evacuate whole of Khan Younis as fighting continues

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to defend his decision to renew humanitarian aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip on Monday amid criticism, but also surprising support from within his coalition.

On the ground, the IDF’s Gaza liaison unit, COGAT, confirmed that for the first time since March 1, five UN trucks carrying baby food entered the enclave, while the IDF called to evacuate the whole city of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, ahead of ground operations there.

In another video message, Netanyahu explained on Monday that preventing starvation in Gaza was necessary for guaranteeing international support for continuing the fighting.

“We are quickly approaching a red line, a situation where we lose control,” he said. Noting that even steadfast friends of Israel from the U.S. asked him to prevent famine, the premier explained that the resumption of aid was necessary, despite the new distribution mechanism not being ready for a few more days.

משאיות עם סיוע הומניטרי במעבר כרם שלום pic.twitter.com/PNEPEMGW1X
— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) May 19, 2025

Due to strong opposition by several cabinet ministers, Netanyahu presented the decision in a meeting on Sunday without putting it to a vote. Most critics focused on the lack of control of the aid under the old distribution mechanism, which enabled Hamas to steal large parts of it.

However, COGAT stated on 𝕏 that “All aid was transferred following a thorough security inspection by the Israel MOD Crossing Points Authority.”

While the IDF did not specify how it intended to prevent aid from reaching Hamas once it enters Gaza, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich offered surprising support for the prime minister, as well as a possible solution to the problem.

“We will monitor the truck with a drone; if Hamas takes control of it, we will shoot,” Smotrich told Army Radio.

The start of Operation Gideon’s Chariots: Operating to free our hostages, stop Hamas and protect our people. pic.twitter.com/R5fEmKoHDK
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) May 18, 2025

Despite having threatened to leave the coalition if aid was renewed several times, the far-right finance minister publicly supported Netanyahu in a statement on Sunday while downplaying the amount of aid that would be delivered: “This is not surrendering to pressure; it is doing the right thing to continue to focus primarily on destroying Hamas.”

“What will come in the coming days is a little bit to the bakeries that distribute pitas to people and public kitchens that provide a daily ration of cooked food,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Avigdor Liberman, accused the government of caving to international pressure while trying to deflect blame onto the IDF.

“Most of the aid will go to Hamas, and the only mechanism that exists here is the mechanism of lying to the public,” Liberman charged.

On the ground in Gaza, the Israeli units continued a slow advance in several areas, covered by heavy airstrikes and artillery.

On Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said that the army still intends to enable a potential ceasefire deal to be reached, indicating that the all-out offensive that had been threatened has still not begun.

#عاجل ‼️ الى سكان محافظة خان يونس، بني سهيلا وعبسان
⭕️جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي سوف يشن هجوماً غير مسبوق لتدمير قدرات المنظمات الإرهابية في هذه المنطقة
⭕️عليكم الأخلاء فوراً غرباً الى منطقة المواصي⭕️
⭕️من هذه اللحظة، ستعتبر محافظة خانيونس منطقة قتال خطيرة
⭕️المنظمات الإرهابية جلبت… pic.twitter.com/1yqOLDVTKK
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 19, 2025

On Monday, the IDF issued one of the broadest evacuation calls yet during the war, instructing the residents of the whole town of Khan Younis, as well as its Bani Suheila and Abasan suburbs, to flee west toward the Mawasi humanitarian zone.

“From this moment, Khan Yunis Governorate will be considered a dangerous combat zone. Terrorist organizations have brought you disaster. For your safety, evacuate immediately,” the IDF’s Arabic Spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, stated.

מתפנים מחאן יונס. לפי כמה כלי תקשורת מדובר באלפים. בזהירות אגיד שאם נכון זה חריג לעומת ההיענות להוראות פינוי קודמת בחודשיים האחרונים. זה לא שלא התפנו אבל היה הרבה בלבול ואולי גם ייאוש ולפי המספרים של אונר"א - העקורים לא התקרבו למספרים של שנה שעברה https://t.co/KKogKwEr6A pic.twitter.com/5ey8BZlzLq
— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) May 19, 2025

Al Arabiya reported that thousands of residents followed the call, with footage on social media showing large groups of people fleeing.

Meanwhile, social media footage also showed dozens protesting against Hamas in Khan Younis, chanting, “Hamas out, out, out!”

BREAKING: Dozens of Gazans are out in the streets of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, in renewed anti-Hamas protests, amid the expansion of the IDF ground operation and evacuation order in the area. Crowds are chanting, "Out, Out. Hamas out!" pic.twitter.com/CXbzCdJhCk
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) May 19, 2025

The Israeli military issued several operational updates on Monday. One airstrike hit Hamas terrorists “who were operating in a command and control center in the area of Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip,” the military said, noting that Hamas “systematically violates international law while using civilian infrastructure for terrorist activity.”

According to Palestinian reports, the strike hit a school building currently being used as shelter for displaced people, and killed at least nine.

The IDF said the terrorists used the building “to plan and execute terrorist attacks,” and that it took steps “to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”

In the northern part of Gaza, IDF strikes hit “terrorist cells, anti-tank missile launch posts, and military structures.”

In the central area, “underground infrastructure, and a weapons storage facility were struck, and in southern Gaza, terrorist cells, military structures, anti-tank missile launch posts, and booby-trapped structures were struck,” the military said.

“Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force struck over 160 terror targets in the Gaza Strip.”