Former Israeli official calls for evacuation of northern Gaza, suspension of aid

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Former Israeli National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat on Friday urged the evacuation of northern Gaza and the suspension of humanitarian aid, advocating for the area to be declared a closed military zone.

In a statement, Ben-Shabbat, who also chairs the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, said that “remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt is not enough. We must also evacuate northern Gaza and declare it a closed military zone, stopping the entry of humanitarian aid."

Ben-Shabbat suggested that the US administration under President Joe Biden should support this stance, believing it could advance negotiations on the release of hostages.

He argued that to achieve Israel's war objectives, "control over humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip must be removed from Hamas. This is its lifeline and the main way it maintains control on the ground."

Very limited humanitarian aid reaches Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is under complete Israeli military control. No Gaza government structures handle or distribute this aid; international organizations such as UNRWA, UNICEF, and WHO manage this task.

The Israeli military targets any governmental police forces securing the aid, prompting international organizations to rely on private security firms for these operations, according to previous statements from Gaza's government media office and local Palestinian sources.

Ben-Shabbat also proposed the division of Gaza into additional sectors.

Currently, the Israeli military divides Gaza into two areas (north and south) separated by the Netzarim Corridor, with the southern region further divided into a so-called "humanitarian safe zone" covering about 11% of the total area and military operational zones concentrated in Rafah and the eastern parts of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 94,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi​​​​​​​​​​​​​​