International plan to regulate assistance within Gaza stirs controversy
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The Israeli military is tossing around a novel strategy for distributing aid within Gaza, with soldiers or private security contractors manning the aid distribution points. This move, though, has sparked a barrage of criticism from aid organizations.
For the last two harrowing months, Israel has barred food, medicine, and even fresh water from entering the overpopulated strip where approximately 2 million Palestinian civilians now teeter on the edge of starvation. Many are surviving on mere scraps, a measly meal a day.
If the plan takes flight, Palestinians would need to schlep to a so-called humanitarian zone, pick up pre-inspected food parcels, and haul them back to their families. According to several humanitarian workers and an Israeli official, this system would allow Israel to inspect Palestinians and determine which ones get to receive food.
Needless to say, the Israeli military intends to steer clear of directly distributing aid. However, this system could potentially push some of the largest, most experienced, and well-resourced relief agencies out of the aid distribution process for the desperate Gaza populace, which has been battered by 19 months of war.
Various options for allowing aid back into Gaza have been kicked around by Israeli officials, but this isn't the only one up for debate. Israel's hard-right coalition allies are bitterly opposed to the idea of aid getting back into Gaza.
Until now, the UN and other agencies have hauled aid into Gaza via Israeli-controlled crossing points and stored it in their own warehouses, from where it's sent to smaller distribution points, or handed out to community kitchens or charitable bakeries.
The Israeli government has slung accusations – without offering any proof – that Hamas diverts aid to its fighters and banks its coffers by charging protection money. Advocates of the new system believe it will put a stop to such practices.
However, the UN has aired its reservations about a system that would give Israel control over selecting aid recipients, which wouldn't sit well with the UN's principles of neutrality and independence. A UN official spoke off the record, expressing that the proposed system doesn't meet the minimum standards for principled humanitarian support.
Tom Fletcher, the UN humanitarian relief chief, weighed in this week, stating, "We're seeing an attempt to... essentially instrumentalize the delivery of aid to pursue military objectives." Gavin Kelleher, of the Norwegian Refugee Council, added that the system could potentially implicate aid organizations in forced displacement by agreeing to distribute humanitarian supplies in some areas while restricting it in others.
The Israeli military didn't provide a comment in response to a request for one.
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Food supplies are dwindling in Gaza.
One Israeli official privy to the discussions dismissively waved off the UN's objections, implying that it's likely other relief agencies would opt in to participate in what he described as a "pilot scheme," even if it may be their only chance to get aid into Gaza.
As of now, the Israeli military's proposal is still up in the air, awaiting discussion by the Israel's security cabinet. The official also warned that it could take weeks, or even months, to put the plan into action.
Israel broke a ceasefire with Hamas in March and imposed a blockade on the enclave. Israeli officials claim the siege is necessary to weaken Hamas and secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages, around 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Netanyahu has stubbornly refused to agree to an extended ceasefire to secure the hostages' freedom. His decision to restart the war garnered support from his far-right coalition allies, with ultranationalist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich declaring last month, "Not even a grain of wheat will enter" Gaza.
The dispute over aid flared up this week as several countries told the UN's International Court of Justice that blocking international aid organizations from bringing food and other aid into Gaza violates international law.
Fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat are now nowhere to be found in Gaza markets, the UN's World Food Programme has depleted its stocks, and smaller relief agencies like World Central Kitchen are scrounging for wood just to keep a few bakeries running.
Meanwhile, aid officials estimate that thousands of tons of food are rotting in the summer heat outside Gaza.
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Curbing food access is essentially a form of collective punishment against the people of Gaza, with the blockade extending over five months. In April alone, the UNRWA blocked 99 out of 192 planned movements.
Under the new Israeli proposal, the aid distribution system would funnel aid directly to families, alleviating the involvement of humanitarian agencies like UNRWA, which Israel alleges have ties to Hamas. The Palestinian families would designate representatives to collect food from IDF-secured zones.
Private contractors, some with connections to Israeli officials like Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, would handle the aid distribution under IDF security.
Throughout the distribution process, aid would be subject to stringent inspections to ensure it won't fall into the hands of Hamas.
Critics of the proposal argue that Israel's attempts to side-line humanitarian agencies create additional barriers for aid access, while heightened operational risks for agencies continue to jeopardize essential aid delivery. The strained distribution process may exacerbate the already severe nutritional crisis in Gaza, primarily affecting children under the age of two.
Moreover, the plan's reliance on private contractors and restricted distribution zones puts civilians at risk of heightened security threats during travel and crowd surges, as recent looting incidents illustrate.
Despite the ongoing controversy, the Israel security cabinet has yet to formally debate the proposal, with it taking several weeks, or even months before any decisions are made.
- The Israeli military's proposed system for distributing aid within Gaza, where soldiers or private security contractors manage the aid distribution points, has sparked criticism from aid organizations.
- Critics argue that Israel's attempts to bypass humanitarian agencies in the aid distribution process create additional barriers for aid access and heighten operational risks.
- The UN's World Food Programme has depleted its stocks, and smaller relief agencies like World Central Kitchen are struggling to find resources to keep a few bakeries running in Gaza markets.
- The new Israeli proposal, which funnels aid directly to families and relies on private contractors for distribution under IDF security, faces reservations from the UN due to the potential of Israel controlling aid recipient selection.
- The dispute over aid access in Gaza, with Israel restricting international aid organizations and several countries claiming this violation of international law, continues to escalate in war-and-conflicts politics, with the Israeli security cabinet yet to formally debate the proposal.
