Israel announced that it will renew the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza beginning on Sunday, ahead of plans by the military to evacuate the Palestinian civilian population of Gaza City.

Saturday’s announcement came as Israel prepares for a military operation to conquer the Gaza Strip’s largest city, which was approved by the cabinet last week, despite hesitation from the military.

According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Defense Ministry body that deals with humanitarian aid, the tents and shelter equipment will be sent into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing by the United Nations and other international bodies, following a “thorough security inspection” by Israeli authorities.

COGAT said the move was being carried out “in accordance with the directive of the political echelon, and as part of the IDF’s preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection.”

The Israeli government has instructed the IDF to ready to capture Gaza City, where an estimated one million civilians are sheltering. The civilians will be instructed to head to southern Gaza for their safety, according to officials.

Israel resumed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza on May 19, after a pause since March 2, but until now, none of the deliveries have included shelter equipment, which has not been allowed for 26 weeks.

Alongside the announcement of renewed tent deliveries to the Strip, the Prime Minister’s Office gave special permission to Indonesia to airdrop humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Kan public broadcaster reported on Saturday.

Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, does not have relations with Israel.

In response to the report, a diplomatic official told Kan, “Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu invites all countries that request to airdrop food to Gaza to join the humanitarian effort.”

With the move, Indonesia joined fellow southeast Asian nation Singapore, as well as Canada, Jordan,........

© The Times of Israel