Gaza: Human rights advocate and Chairman of ICSPR, Salah Abdul Ati, has raised concerns over efforts by the Israeli occupation to present their limited aid operations as a significant humanitarian gesture. He urged the international community to condemn these acts as political manipulation and stressed that providing humanitarian aid to Gaza is a legal and moral duty, not a negotiable privilege.
According to Qatar News Agency, Adnan Abu Hasna, media advisor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), strongly criticized the US aid plan, labeling it as a strategy to disassemble UNRWA and replace it with temporary, security-oriented entities. Abu Hasna disclosed that the US proposal involves a 30-page document detailing a new aid distribution mechanism, which imposes strict security conditions and establishes distribution points in southern Gaza. The plan limits aid to food rations, each no more than 1,400 calories, with recipients subjected to security screenings.
Abu Hasna further cautioned that the proposed security measures, handled by private firms, provide no assurance of safety or dignity for aid recipients and could coerce civilians into displacement. He emphasized that such a plan would set a dangerous precedent, violating the United Nations’ principles, which oppose discriminatory practices in food and healthcare.
He highlighted that international bodies, including UNRWA, the World Food Programme, and UNICEF, have uniformly dismissed the plan in UN Security Council meetings and other forums. Abu Hasna noted the inadequacy of the plan in addressing the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where famine and malnutrition are rampant.
Amjad Shawa, Director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) in Gaza, described the US-Israeli aid initiative as a deceptive “humanitarian mirage.” He warned that the plan intends to starve and forcibly relocate the population under a controlled security framework managed by Israeli forces and private contractors.
Shawa elaborated that the plan revives previously rejected proposals and is now being executed in collaboration with the Israeli military and US firms. The initial phase targets half of Gaza’s population, leaving the remainder at risk of starvation and death, devoid of civilian protections.
The implementation of the plan has commenced in the Morag corridor in southern Gaza, according to Shawa. He remarked that the limited aid currently offered is significantly reduced compared to the 600 trucks that crossed daily during the ceasefire period. The minimal, calorie-controlled meals fall short of basic nutritional standards.
Shawa also noted that the aid permitted by the occupation, along with the plan itself, fails to include essential relief items like medical supplies, fuel, tents, and mobile shelters.
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a severe famine and comprehensive humanitarian breakdown due to the continuous offensive by the Israeli occupation since October 7, 2023. The situation is exacerbated by a blockade following Israel’s withdrawal from a ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States on January 19, and resumption of hostilities on March 18. This blockade has inflicted collective punishment by denying food, medicine, and fuel, leading to an unparalleled humanitarian crisis in Gaza.