US, Israel In Talks to Avert Famine in Gaza

United States and Israeli officials are discussing a mechanism to deliver aid to Gaza that bypasses Hamas, an Israeli source familiar with the matter and a State Department official told CNN. The official said an announcement could be made “in the coming days.”

The initiative to deliver aid comes as a total Israeli blockade of aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave approaches its third month, and after US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late last month that “we’ve got to be good to Gaza.”

The delivery mechanism in the works would allow aid to reach the Palestinian population with safeguards to ensure it is not diverted by Hamas or Islamic Jihad, according to a State Department spokesperson.

An unnamed private foundation would manage the aid mechanism and the delivery of the humanitarian supplies into Gaza, the spokesperson said.

“Safeguards are finally in place. Israel remains secure, Hamas empty handed, and Gazans with access to critical aid,” the spokesperson said, adding that the mechanism “helps fulfill President Trump’s commitment” to help Gaza. The spokesperson described the project as an element of “creative thinking” but did not provide any details on how it would function in the besieged enclave.

The US expects the United Nations and international aid organizations to work with the framework of the foundation’s mechanism in order to ensure that supplies do not reach Hamas, the spokesperson said.

Axios initially reported on Saturday that the US, Israel and representatives of a new international foundation are close to an agreement on how to resume the delivery of aid, citing two anonymous Israeli and US sources

The Israeli source who spoke to CNN would not say if a deal was imminent.

For two months, Israel has carried out a total siege of Gaza, refusing to allow in a single truck of humanitarian aid or commercial goods — the longest period Israel has imposed such a total blockade.

Israel says it cut off the entry of humanitarian aid to pressure Hamas to release hostages. But international organizations say its actions violate international law, with some accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war — a war crime.