Israeli officials mull arming some Gaza civilians as aid security crumbles-report

Source: Reuters

Israeli officials mull arming some Gaza civilians as aid security crumbles-report

Reuters
March 8, 2024 9:13 AM EST Updated 42 min ago

JERUSALEM, March 8 (Reuters) - Israeli officials have discussed arming some civilians in Gaza to provide security protection for aid convoys into the besieged enclave, as part of wider planning for humanitarian supplies after fighting ends, the Israel Hayom daily said on Friday.

With civil order increasingly strained in Hamas-run Gaza and municipal police refusing to provide security to convoys because of the risk of being targeted by Israeli forces, the issue of secure distribution of supplies has become a major problem.

The civilians would not be linked to militant groups including Hamas but it remained unclear who they might be, the newspaper said. It said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had postponed a decision on the issue.

The Prime Minister's office declined to comment on the report, which came a week after dozens of Palestinians were killed in an incident in which crowds surrounded a convoy of aid trucks entering northern Gaza and troops opened fire.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-officials-mull-arming-some-gaza-civilians-aid-security-crumbles-report-2024-03-08/

Alternate no-paywall link: https://news.yahoo.com/israeli-officials-mull-arming-gaza-151346447.html

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Related: Vigilantes try to uphold order as war batters Gaza's Rafah (Agence France-Presse)