Pentagon awaits White House decision to help ramp up Gaza humanitarian aid
The White House has not yet signed off on proposals to have the US military support humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza as the enclave's population faces spreading starvation.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is awaiting approval from the White House to implement plans that would see the US military help funnel additional humanitarian aid into Gaza, Al-Monitor has learned.
Specific details of the military’s proposals were not clear but are likely to include logistical support to enable an expansion of on-the-ground aid distribution currently run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial private company that replaced UN's humanitarian operations in Gaza in late May.
One official familiar with the matter said that officials at US Central Command (CENTCOM) began preparing the options after President Donald Trump expressed concern about the spread of starvation in the Palestinian enclave late last month. The White House is expected to issue a decision on the proposals soon, one of the sources said.
Trump "wants to alleviate the suffering for the people of Gaza. He wants to see peace in the Middle East and in that region in particular,” the Pentagon’s deputy spokesperson, Kingsley Wilson, said on Thursday.
