The Israeli Knesset is considering a significant reduction in the flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, days before Donald Trump takes office in the US, according to Israeli media.
A source told Israel's Channel 12 on Friday that any such decision by the Knesset would be taken in coordination with the incoming US administration.
Quoting the source, the network said: "It is highly doubtful whether the amount of aid being brought into Gaza today will be similar to the amount that will come in under the Trump administration."
"So far, Israel has determined aid according to the commitment made to President Joe Biden, but this may change in the coming weeks, after Trump returns to the White House on January 20th," it added.
As to why the Knesset was considering passing a law to restrict aid entering the Gaza Strip, Channel 12 claimed that "Israel realised several months ago that the humanitarian aid entering Gaza goes to Hamas, which uses it to restore its capabilities."
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israel has severely restricted the flow of aid into Gaza, bringing the territory to the brink of famine.
Last year, the UN said Gaza had descended into anarchy, with hunger soaring and looting rampant in the territory, denouncing the "systematic" theft of humanitarian aid in the Palestinian enclave. Some civilians, including children, have starved to death or died from hypothermia.
Hamas says it has targeted criminal gangs looting the aid trucks entering Gaza and says dozens have been killed in security operations targeting such actions.
The Channel 12 news report comes after eight far-right members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Friday called on Defence Minister Israel Katz to destroy all sources of food, water and power in the Gaza Strip.
In a letter to Katz, the Knesset members claim that Israel's military operations were failing to achieve the government's proclaimed objectives, which are the "dismantling of Hamas' governing and military capabilities".
They urged the defence minister to have the army destroy all sources of water, food and energy in northern Gaza and kill anyone in the area who "doesn't come out with a white flag" and then to gradually enter the area for a "complete cleansing of the enemy's nests".
Since the start of the war on 7 October 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza – and his far-right allies in government have vowed to eradicate Hamas.
The war has killed over 45,000 Palestinians in the tiny coastal territory, mostly women and children, and decimated its healthcare sector and infrastructure. It has also displaced practically all its population of just over 2 million.
Aid groups, UN experts and governments around the world have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.