Israeli officials and leaders reacted to the political echelon's and the IDF's decision to allow for localized humanitarian pauses in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
President Isaac Herzog said, "I support the series of humanitarian measures announced by the political leadership and the IDF, including the humanitarian pauses. This is a moral, operational, political, and communicative necessity."
He noted that he had received in recent days "countless inquiries from leaders, friends of Israel, media figures, and Jewish leaders worldwide on this matter. A proper practical action is the response to this."
Israel's president also stated that the decision to allow for humanitarian pauses "is not a concession – it is an essential part of the war effort, including on the international stage, for the sake of bringing back our hostage brothers and restoring security to Israeli citizens."
"This is how we distinguish ourselves from those who seek our destruction. Let it be clear – the responsibility for the situation of the residents of the Gaza Strip lies with the Hamas terrorist organization – it is the one that initiated a brutal massacre and refuses proposals for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages from the hell of captivity," Herzog said in the statement.
Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman commented on the development in a post on X/Twitter, "In Gaza, there are no hungry civilians. In Gaza, there are hungry hostages."
Ben-Gvir criticizes plan, as well as his exclusion during the security consultation
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized the plan to allow for humanitarian pauses, specifically noting that he was not included in a security consultation on the matter on Saturday.
"On Saturday night, I was informed by a source in the Prime Minister's Office that during the Sabbath, a security consultation was held without me... in which it was decided to increase the quantities of 'humanitarian' aid entering Gaza."
Ben-Gvir said that such a plan "is a surrender to Hamas's deceitful campaign" and "endangers the lives of IDF soldiers."
The minister criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the aid plan after the prime minister said on Friday that Israel and the US are considering alternative options for bringing hostages home, with Ben-Gvir writing, "It turns out that the 'alternative way' is to surrender to Hamas and its deceitful campaigns and to increase humanitarian aid that reaches it directly."
"This path distances the return of the hostages and, above all, distances the absolute victory in the war. The only way to win the war and bring back the hostages is to completely stop the 'humanitarian' aid, conquer the entire Gaza Strip, and encourage voluntary migration."
This is a developing story.