Israel will allow private Gazan retailers to bring goods into the Strip for the first time since the end of its aid blockade as part of a pilot programme aimed at gradually increasing the volume of aid reaching the population, the Israeli Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday.
"Following the Cabinet’s decision to expand the scope of humanitarian aid, a mechanism was approved for the gradual and controlled renewal of the entry of goods through the private sector," stated the ministry's Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
The humanitarian measure "aims to increase the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing reliance on aid collection by the UN and international organisations," according to COGAT.
The scheme will see a limited number of approved Palestinian retailers bring in the basic items, including fruit and vegetables, baby food and hygiene products.
All shipments will undergo "thorough inspection," COGAT said. Payment for the imported goods will be conducted via bank transfer only, under a “monitoring and oversight mechanism", aimed at preventing Hamas from further profiting from Israel's humanitarian gestures.
"In cooperation with security agencies, we will continue to operate monitoring and oversight mechanisms for the entry of aid into Gaza, while taking all possible measures to prevent the involvement of Hamas in the processes of bringing in and distributing the aid," COGAT stated.
It follows the IDF’s announcement of several measures aimed at refuting "the false claim of deliberate starvation" in the coastal enclave, including "tactical pauses" in the conflict during daylight hours.
While emphasising that "combat operations have not ceased" across the Strip, the IDF said pauses in military activities between 10 am and 8 pm would be instituted in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City.
Humanitarian corridors have also been established to enable the movement of UN convoys delivering food and medicine to Gazans. The secure aid routes will remain in place indefinitely, between 6 am and 11 pm each day.
The Israeli military added that it was prepared to expand the scale of its humanitarian response "as required". More than 23,000 tons of aid have entered the enclave over the past week, with 1,200 trucks having been successfully collected by the U.N. and other international organisations operating in Gaza.
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