The Israeli government “fully endorses” the new humanitarian aid plan advanced by the United States for civilians in Gaza, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told reporters on Sunday during a joint news conference with visiting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
The plan was announced Friday by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
“Only Hamas is responsible for the war and for the continuation of this war,” Sa’ar said. “The Hamas terror state must not be allowed to exist. Otherwise, Hamas will continue to be a nightmare – for Israel’s security and the stability of the region as a whole. Hamas must be defeated.”
During the war, Israel allowed and facilitated the delivery of more than a million tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza. According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), 1,774,459 tons of humanitarian aid in 91,674 trucks and on 10,450 pallets have been brought into Gaza between the start of the war on October 7, 2023 and February 28, 2025.
During the most recent hostage release deal (January 19 – March 2), 25,200 aid trucks carried 447,538 tons of supplies into the enclave.
“But Hamas stole that aid from the people and earned its money from it,” Sa’ar pointed out. “It used it to feed its war machine. It used it to retain its strong position – at the expense of the civilian population.
“If the aid continues to go to Hamas and not to the people of Gaza – the war will continue forever,” he said.
“Therefore we will stop making these efforts in a manner that Hamas could use because it undermines Israel’s objectives in this just war. Israel fully endorses the Trump Administration’s plan, presented on Friday by US Ambassador to Israel Mr. Mike Huckabee.”
The delivery of the aid is to be facilitated by a private fund based on the principles laid out by the US administration, Sa’ar said, enabling the aid to go directly to the people.
“Hamas must not be allowed to get their hands on it.”
IDF soldiers will not allocate aid, but will secure the perimeter, he noted.
“This plan allows for aid to flow based on international humanitarian law and its principles, which we are committed to, and we would like to cooperate with as many countries and NGOs as possible on the matter,” he emphasized..
