Netanyahu, Gallant at odds over humanitarian aid to Gaza

By Mustafa Deveci

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant got into an argument over the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip earlier this week, Israel's Channel 12 reported.

The report said that the issue was brought up during a closed-door meeting when Gallant said: “The problem lies not with bringing supplies, but with who distributes it. Someone has to take the lead, and it is not going to be Sweden. It must be the Palestinian Authority.”

In response, Netanyahu is reported to have said: “I do not want to hear about the Palestinian Authority."

Israel started its war on Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Hamas. It has since killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, and pushed the territory to the brink of famine besides causing mass destruction and displacement.

The rift between Netanyahu and Gantz is said to have persisted for a long time, mainly over differences on the potential role of the Palestinian Authority, which administers the occupied West Bank, in governing the Gaza Strip after the war.

The US, meanwhile, has also called for “revitalizing” the Palestinian Authority to take over in Gaza, a suggestion opposed by Netanyahu.

In an interview with Politico earlier this month, Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to putting the Palestinian Authority in charge of Gaza after the war ends, stressing that “the overwhelming majority of Israelis” agree with him and support his policies.

Tensions have also increased between Washington and Tel Aviv over Israel’s plans to invade Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, refusal to adhere to a two-state solution, and obstruction in the delivery of aid to the Palestinians.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel