Once Again, Israel Tried to Restrict Gaza Aid. Once Again, Its Policy Failed Miserably

The Netanyahu Govt.’s Spectacular Reversal Points to a Lack of a Coherent Strategy and Raises Serious Questions About Israel’s Ability to Win the War

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly announced new aid policies, enforced them just long enough for criticism to reach a fever pitch, then reversed course entirely.

A year and a half later, Israel is still making the same mistakes over humanitarian aid in Gaza.

In the confused days after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israeli leaders took to the microphones to boast about how vigorously they would block aid into the Gaza Strip.

Two days after the horror, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared: “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.”

That quickly proved unrealistic. Less than two weeks into the war, the siege was lifted, and the first aid trucks bearing food and medicine crossed in from Egypt.

By mid-November, pressure from the US and international organizations pushed Israel to reverse course on fuel as well, and trucks started to bring in fuel tanks for hospitals, aid trucks, water pumps, desalination plants, bakeries and sewage plants.

Read the full article at the Times of Israel.

Published originally on July 28, 2025.

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Lazar Berman

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.