Netanyahu also said pressure from Israel’s “closest friends in the world” influenced the decision and that U.S. senators pressed the country into resuming aid because they couldn’t tolerate images of extreme hunger coming out of Gaza. They suggested that if such hunger were to continue, it would affect their support.

“It is for that reason, in order to achieve victory, we have to somehow solve the problem,” he said.

It’s unclear which senators pressured Israel. The chamber’s partisan lines have often blurred when it comes to the Jewish state, though Republicans are more unanimous about their support for the nation.

Israel has hesitated to allow any aid into the country during its war with Hamas. It has often accused aid groups of collaborating with the terrorist organization and has killed aid workers in airstrikes in the past.

Israel launched an offensive in Gaza this weekend in an effort to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Airstrikes killed at least 103 people, including dozens of children, on Saturday and Sunday.

The intensified assault reportedly played a role in Vice President JD Vance’s decision to skip a visit to the country during his papal inauguration trip. Axios reported that Vance was planning to travel to the country but decided against it because he didn’t want his trip to be viewed as an endorsement of the renewed assault on Gaza.

The White House publicly cited “logistical” reasons for the skipped visit. “While the Secret Service has engaged in contingency planning for the addition of several potential countries, no additional visits were at any point decided upon, and logistical constraints have precluded an extension of his travel beyond Rome. He will return to Washington on Monday,” a White House official told Axios.

The United States would like to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas rather than an escalated offensive. Such a deal would hope to include more hostages being released, an end to the assault, and more aid to Gaza.

ISRAEL SAYS IT HAS BEGUN ‘EXTENSIVE’ NEW GROUND OPERATIONS IN GAZA

White House envoy Steve Witkoff gave Israel and Hamas a new framework for a hostage deal and ceasefire on Sunday. It doesn’t appear that either side has agreed to such a deal yet.

Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel will control all of Gaza and achieve “complete victory” by destroying Hamas and securing the release of all remaining hostages. There are fears that the assault will only serve to endanger the hostages further, but Netanyahu has suggested that winning the war is the priority.