International aid agencies have warned that Israeli plans to control aid distribution in Gaza, including a US-backed proposal, will only increase suffering and death in the devastated Palestinian territory.
They are calling on Israel to lift its blockade on food and other supplies, now in its third month.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said that the new US-devised aid system would be launched soon, urging the UN and other aid groups to participate.
So far, the UN has rejected the new system, saying it “weaponises aid,” threatens to cause mass displacement of Palestinians, violates principles of neutrality and simply won’t be able to provide the scale of aid needed.
In what has become a daily scene of desperation in Gaza, thousands of Palestinians crowded a charity kitchen in the southern city of Khan Younis, jostling and waving their pots to receive scoops of pasta.
Such kitchens are virtually the only source of food left for the territory’s 2.3 million people, but dozens have shut down in recent days as food supplies run out under Israel’s blockade.
Aid groups say more closures are imminent.
Raed al-Zaharna and his children walked away empty-handed after the day’s meals ran out.
“I’m thinking now, ‘What will I feed them?’ I can’t find anything,” he said.
Israel has blocked food, medicine, fuel and other supplies from entering Gaza since March 2, saying it’s trying to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages and disarming.
It also shattered a ceasefire deal with Hamas, relaunching bombardment across Gaza and seizing large swaths of the territory. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.
Israel has said it won’t resume aid until it installs a new distribution mechanism, replacing the massive operation led by the UN and independent relief groups throughout the 19-month-old war.
Israel accuses Hamas and other militants of siphoning off aid, though it hasn’t presented evidence for its claims.
The UN denies significant diversion takes place, saying it monitors distribution.
“Humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said in Geneva.
“There is a simple alternative. Lift the blockade, let humanitarian aid in, save lives.”
Huckabee said details of the new US-backed system would be announced in the coming days, with deliveries set to begin “very soon,” though he gave no time frame.
He depicted it as independent from Israel, which he said wouldn’t be involved in distribution.
He said private companies would provide security, while Israel’s military would secure the perimeters from afar.
He echoed Israel’s claims that it was necessary because Hamas was stealing aid.
https://thewest.com.au/politics/foreign-aid/israels-plans-for-aid-supply-will-endanger-lives-un-c-18643862
