Israel must prevent Gaza famine for 'diplomatic reasons', PM says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said it was necessary for Israel to prevent a famine in Gaza for "diplomatic reasons", after his government announced it would allow limited food aid into the territory.The premier's defence of the decision to at least partially lift a more than two-month aid blockade followed criticism from far-right members of his coalition who opposed the move. "We must not let the population (of Gaza) sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons," Netanyahu said in a video posted to his Telegram channel, adding that even friends of Israel would not tolerate "images of mass starvation".Israel has said its blockade since March 2 was aimed at forcing concessions from the Palestinian militant group.But it came under increasing international pressure to restore aid to Gaza, where UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.The territory was at "critical risk of famine", with 22 percent of the population facing an imminent humanitarian "catastrophe", the UN- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said this month.Neytanyahu on Monday shrugged off criticism of the aid resumption as "natural", calling the decision "difficult, but necessary".