In a statement confirming the decision, the Prime Minister’s Office said it’s being done “at the recommendation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and due to the operational need to enable the expansion of intense fighting to defeat Hamas.”

Israel will allow the entry of a basic quantity of food for the population in order to prevent a hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip, as such a crisis would endanger the continued operation to defeat Hamas.

The decision to lift the blockade and resume the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza was made just hours after Netanyahu unexpectedly announced that Israel’s negotiation team in Doha, Qatar, is seriously considering the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which would include a provision to end the fighting.

According to regional media, this marks a fundamental and significant shift in the Israeli Prime Minister’s approach to the Gaza conflict, as previously—despite strong domestic and international pressure—Netanyahu insisted that military operations in Gaza would not end until Hamas was completely defeated and all hostages were rescued.