The United Nations and aid agencies have rejected a US-Israeli plan to deliver humanitarian supplies to Palestinians in need in Gaza. The UN and its partners have argued the plan “weaponises aid”, with the UN children’s fund Unicef and the World Food Programme warning of the risk of famine in Gaza, which has been bombed and blockaded by Israel.
Israel has blockaded supplies into Gaza since early March, when it resumed its military campaign against Hamas. It has said it will not lift the blockade until it has control over aid delivery.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that World Health Organisation official Rik Peeperkorn said malnutrition cases in Gaza are increasing and hunger could have a lasting effect on an “entire generation”. He warned of stunted growth and impaired development.
Norwegian Refugee Council secretary general Jan Egeland posted on X: “It is totally wrong that a party to the conflict – in this case Israel – should be in control of lifesaving aid for civilians.”
The United Arab Emirates has refused to finance the plan, which makes it difficult to convince potential Arab donors to contribute. Emirati international co-operation minister Reem al-Hashimy has told Israeli officials the plan does not address the humanitarian crisis. Those who have so far agreed to provide funds wish to remain anonymous.
US ambassador Mike Huckabee has said president Donald Trump “has made very clear that one of the most urgent things that needs to happen is [getting] humanitarian aid into Gaza”.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar has said the plan “will enable aid to go directly to the people. Hamas must not be allowed to get their hands on it.” He said the Israeli military will not allocate aid. While US military contractors would secure the hubs, Israeli troops would be deployed at the perimeter.
For Israel, this amounts to a calculated shift from its 10-week deprivation of aid with the aim of increasing military pressure on Hamas to release Israeli hostages and accept defeat.
According to the plan, a private Swiss-registered charity, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is to be in charge of all aid deliveries. Donors seeking to provide aid to specific organisations in Gaza would have to route supplies through GHF, which would use armoured vehicles for deliveries.
Although the volume of aid would be stepped up eventually, Huckabee has admitted that only 60 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people would initially be served. Commentators warn the rest could face hunger and illness. This could lead to violence between recipients of aid and those left out.
Four distribution sites – each serving 300,000 people – would be established in south Gaza and deliver food packages, hygiene kits and medical supplies.
In addition to depriving 40 per cent of Gazans from supplies, GHF would force Palestinians living in northern Gaza to move south to access existential aid, boosting numbers of displaced Palestinians at a time Israeli-proclaimed “safe zones” are overcrowded and frequently bombed.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said Palestinians who moved to the south would not be allowed to return to the north. Palestinians fear their concentration in the south could make it easier for Israel to expel them from Gaza into Egypt.
The UN and associated aid experts argue the four planned delivery hubs – which would replace 400 existing sites – would be overwhelmed by recipients and would make it difficult to distribute aid to all in need. The presence of Israeli troops near the proposed hubs could discourage fearful Palestinians from accessing aid or lead to clashes.
United Nations agencies and aid groups operating in Gaza reject a programme that could refuse aid to some Palestinians, such as those deemed to be Hamas members and fighters.
The UN and its partners said in a joint statement that the plan “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy. We will not participate in any scheme that does not adhere to the global humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.”
