After two months of all aid being closed, the food distribution in Gaza under Israeli control has begun; and those present have been shot by the army. Three people have been killed and 46 injured in the attack, and seven others are missing. The day after the events, Wednesday’s distribution of humanitarian aid has been suspended by GHF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the foundation responsible for the distribution. The images of the distribution of aid have crossed the world: a multitude is seen in closed enclosures, fenced, in line. The UN condemns the images, saying they are “very serious.” Israel, for its part, has defended the system of distribution of aid.
The GHF system violates “basic humanitarian aid principles,” say the UN and several humanitarian aid groups; 11 groups have signed a manifesto opposing the GHF’s distribution of aid. The U.S. group has been accused of distributing aid according to political and military intentions and is unwilling to respond to the needs of Gaza: “It’s a project linked to Western security and army figures, coordinated with the Israeli government. It has been set in motion while the people of Gaza are under total siege, without any Palestinian involvement, either in design or in practice.”
Meanwhile, one in five Gazans is at risk of extreme hunger, and 93 percent of the population suffers from a clear lack of food, a UN report said.
The US and Israel, hand in hand
The attack on distribution has aroused international condemnation, but also the systems used for distribution. In fact, the Netanyahu government has entrusted this to a foundation, the GHF. The GHF has the approval of the governments of Israel and the United States, even its representative, Jake Wood, a veteran of the U.S. military, has been in this position until Monday; he has presented his resignation for "humanitarian reasons" in the early hours of Monday. He also owns the Rubicon group, which distributes humanitarian aid in natural disasters.
According to Netanyahu, granting the power to distribute aid only to the GHF means that such aid only reaches civilians, which means that it does not reach the hands of Hamas. International humanitarian aid groups have criticized the decision, arguing that a large percentage of the food distributed by them only goes to civilians, not to Hamas.
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