Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday addressed criticism from right-wing ministers over his decision to resume humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, defending the move as essential to the broader war effort.

“From the beginning of the war, we said that in order to complete the victory, there was one necessary condition—we must not reach a state of starvation in Gaza. They will not support us if we reach that point,” Netanyahu said, referring to global opinion.

“We will take control of all the territories of the Gaza Strip. There is tremendous, intense fighting there. Our fighters are doing a great job there, including this morning—I can’t go into details,” he added.

The prime minister’s comments come amid fierce backlash from members of his coalition, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who argue the aid undermines Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.

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