Netanyahu: Aid from Israel to Gaza will be blocked until hostages return

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he told President Biden during their meeting Wednesday that aid from Israel to Gaza would continue to be blocked until the hostages are released.

“Regarding the captives, I clarified three things for President Biden,” Netanyahu said in a speech Thursday. “First, I demanded the return of our captives, and we are working together for their return in every way possible.”

“Second, until their return, we demand Red Cross visits for our captives,” he continued. “Third, we will not allow humanitarian assistance, in the form of food and medicines, from our territory to the Gaza Strip.”

Following a request from Biden, Netanyahu said Wednesday that a limited amount of humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt.

Egypt, the only country other than Israel to share a border with Gaza, has been preparing its aid. Israel’s military has been adamant that it will allow Egypt to deliver the aid — as long as it is only food, water and medicine.

Biden, speaking in Tel Aviv, announced the aid deal from Egypt and confirmed $100 million of U.S. funding for assistance to civilians in Gaza. Biden spoke to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who would allow up to 20 trucks of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza at the Rafah border crossing.

An Israeli military spokesperson said Thursday that the families of the more than 200 people believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas and taken into Gaza had been notified.

The war, one of the deadliest in the Gaza region, began on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants entered Israel and conducted a surprise attack, and Netanyahu vowed to destroy the group.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 12,500 others have been wounded. More than 1,400 people in Israel were also killed in the initial attack.

More than 1 million Palestinians, roughly half of Gaza’s population, have also been forced to flee areas in the north after Israel told them to evacuate.

Israel’s airstrikes on the region continued early Thursday morning, including in areas declared as “safe zones.”

The Associated Press contributed.