Washington Oversees Gaza Aid Amidst Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis

American forces are now helping oversee aid deliveries to Gaza alongside Israel as part of the ceasefire plan, according to Israeli security officials. But there's confusion about who's actually in charge - Israel insists it still has final say over what goes in and what doesn't.

The Washington Post reported that a US-led civilian-military coordination center will supervise aid entering Gaza instead of Israel making those decisions alone. American officials and sources familiar with the matter said Israel remains part of the process, but the coordination center will decide what aid enters Gaza and how.

An Israeli security official pushed back on this, saying Israeli security agencies will continue participating in policy-making, oversight, and monitoring with joint decision-making. The official added that integrating the coordination committee is already underway, with the US leading coordination with the international community.

Israel maintains strict controls remain in place. The country still limits which NGOs can send aid and blocks so-called "dual-use" materials that could have both civilian and military applications. Israeli military radio clarified that Tel Aviv retains full authority over humanitarian aid entering Gaza, with Israel's political leadership continuing to make exclusive decisions about what materials are allowed or banned.

This disagreement highlights the complex nature of implementing the Gaza ceasefire. While the US wants more control over aid distribution to ensure it reaches civilians, Israel remains concerned about security and preventing materials from reaching Hamas.

Egypt is pushing for the ceasefire to move into its second phase. Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Ati discussed this with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The first phase included stopping military operations, partial Israeli troop withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, and humanitarian aid deliveries.

The prisoner exchange continues under the ceasefire terms. Israel announced it received the body of an Israeli-Argentine hostage killed on October 7, 2023, through the International Red Cross. In return, Israel handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Five bodies remain in Gaza - three Israelis, one Thai national, and one Israeli soldier killed during fighting in the 2014 war. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, Hamas has released 20 living hostages in exchange for Israel freeing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas has also returned 23 out of 28 bodies still in Gaza, including Israelis, a Nepalese, a Tanzanian, and a Thai national.

Netanyahu's office called on Hamas to fulfill its obligations and hand over all remaining bodies in Gaza according to the ceasefire agreement. The exchange rate is 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli body returned.