More than 100 groups blast Israel’s ‘weaponisation of aid’ as Gaza starves

Over a hundred aid organizations have come forward, accusing Israel of blocking essential aid from reaching Gaza. This has left a staggering amount of relief supplies stuck in warehouses in Jordan and Egypt, while more Palestinians face starvation. Aid trucks are lined up at Gaza’s borders, caught in the midst of Israel’s blockade of this famine-stricken area. According to a joint statement released on Thursday, new regulations are being implemented by Israel to prevent the entry of food, medicine, water, and temporary shelters. Despite Israeli officials claiming that there are no restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, most major international NGOs have reported that they haven’t been able to deliver even a single truck of life-saving supplies since March 2nd. “Rather than addressing the growing backlog of goods, Israeli authorities have turned down requests from numerous NGOs to bring in essential supplies, arguing that these organizations are ‘not authorized to deliver aid’,” the groups, which include Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Oxfam, stated. Long-standing relief organizations in Gaza are now being told by Israel that they lack the “authorization” to deliver aid due to new “registration rules” that involve so-called “security” vetting. As a result, hospitals in Gaza are running low on basic supplies, and vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and those with disabilities are “dying from hunger and preventable illnesses,” the statement added. Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead, mentioned that her organization has over $2.5 million worth of humanitarian supplies that have been denied entry into Gaza by Israel. MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, pointed out that these aid restrictions are part of Israel’s militarized approach to distributing relief supplies, led by the infamous GHF. The militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation and curated suffering. Distributions at GHF sites have resulted in extreme levels of violence and killings, primarily of young Palestinian men, but also of women and children, who have gone to the sites in the hope of receiving food,” Zabalgogeazkoa said.

NEWS