DayofPal– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu evades his word to the US envoy Steven Witkoff after the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander.
Netanyahu promised to resume humanitarian aid to Gaza after the release of Edan, yet only five aid trucks entered the Strip some days later the release in what officials called a “mockery.”
Netanyahu made the promise directly to Witkoff, who and US official Adam Boehler gave their word to Hamas, leaving Netanyahu little room to back out, according to Israeli broadcaster Kan and Channel 12.
The deal was to release Alexander in exchange for resuming the flow of aid would follow. Alexander was released but that aid never came in.
On Sunday, Israel announced it would permit nine humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza. Yet, only five ultimately crossed the enclave.
The Gaza Government Media Office condemned the move as “a mockery,” emphasizing that Gaza population requires no fewer than 500 aid trucks per day to address the worsening starvation crisis.
The disclosure of the behind-the-scenes agreement came from Dr. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas political official, in an interview with Drop Site News. “It was a promise,” Naim stated. “Witkoff personally assured us that aid would resume immediately. Instead, the agreement was discarded.”
According to Hamas, the release of Edan Alexander, the first and only soldier Hamas released, was intended as a goodwill gesture directed at the Trump administration, with the expectation that it would trigger immediate humanitarian assistance and renewed dialogue toward a ceasefire.
However, what follows after the release is only an escalation in the attacks. The day after Alexander’s release, Israeli airstrikes targeted the European Hospital in Khan Younis, killing at least 28 people.
Former President Donald Trump, speaking during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, acknowledged the humanitarian crisis.
“A lot of people are starving,” he said. Hamas, however, dismissed his comments as insufficient. “We want action, not sympathy,” Naim responded.
Gaza remains under total blockade. The limited number of trucks permitted entry carry only a fraction of the necessary aid.
Medical facilities report that fuel has completely run out. Families are foraging for grass and relying on contaminated water to survive.
In response to the stalled aid, Trump’s advisers have advanced an alternative relief strategy that circumvents Hamas and delivers food solely to areas under Israeli control.
Humanitarian organizations have criticized the plan, warning it politicizes essential resources and fails to meet the scale of urgent humanitarian needs.
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