The Israeli army plans to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip after a weeks-long blockade amid fears of legal prosecution, local media said on Monday.
"Israel is expected to allow the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza within weeks, and in some cases even sooner, following a five-week halt of supplies," the daily Yedioth Ahronoth said.
According to the newspaper, army commanders and lawmakers discussed the urgent need to resume food supplies to Gaza "to avoid violations of international law that could implicate top military and political figures, particularly those in the IDF (army) Southern Command."
The daily said the army plans to launch a pilot program, most probably in Rafah in southern Gaza, in the coming months, in coordination with international aid organizations, but without any role for the Palestinian group Hamas.
Commenting on the report, the Israeli army said that it acts according to orders from the political leadership.
"Israel does not transfer and will not transfer any aid to Hamas," it added.
Since March 2, Israel has shut down Gaza's border crossings, halting the flow of humanitarian, relief, and medical aid into the territory, leading to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, according to local government and human rights reports.
The blockade was part of a renewed assault on Gaza that has killed nearly 1,400 people and injured over 3,400 others since March 18, despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza amid efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.
More than 50,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
