One week ago, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu was in a political mess. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) had failed to destroy Hamas and two of the ceasefire conditions were proving problematic for his image – and thus his desire to return to war.
The first was the re-opening of northern Gaza. The return of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who’d been displaced by Israel’s attacks was widely covered to considerable impact worldwide, especially as so many came back to destroyed homes.
The other was the increased aid for Gaza as a whole, which made obvious what many had long known: rapid reprovision had always been possible but prevented by Israel. Even as aid now flowed, it was not remotely enough to counter the widespread privation, malnutrition and illness caused by 16 months of shortages. To make matters worse, key supplies intended to be shipped in during the ceasefire, such as tents, were simply not being delivered through Israel.
