UN refugee agency says Gaza aid delivery system backed by US, Israel ‘does not intend to address hunger’

ISTANBUL

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Tuesday criticized the American-Israeli-backed humanitarian aid distribution system operating in Gaza, calling it “humiliating” and ineffective in addressing the hunger crisis caused by Israel’s blockade.

"#Gaza, another day of aid distribution another day of death traps.

"Day after day, casualties & scores of injured are reported at distribution points manned by Israel & private security companies,” the agency said in a statement.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli forces fired artillery shells and live rounds at Palestinians waiting for food near the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, killing 36 people and injuring 208, according to the Gaza Health Ministry’s latest figures.

UNRWA said: “The humiliating system continues to force thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles, excluding the most vulnerable and those living too far,” excluding “the most vulnerable and those living too far.”

“This system does not intend to address hunger,” it added.

It emphasized that food distribution must be “at scale and safe” and insisted that the only effective solution is for the UN, including UNRWA, to manage aid operations. “We have the expertise, the knowledge, and community trust.”

The agency urged Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza and allow "safe and unhindered access to bring in aid and distribute it safely," warning that this is the only way to prevent mass starvation, particularly among 1 million children.

The organization said its warehouses outside Gaza currently hold aid supplies equivalent to 6,000 truckloads but warned of imminent spoilage: “Letting food rot and medicine deliberately expire would simply be obscene.”

Since May 27, Israel has launched a new aid initiative in Gaza through the so-called “Gaza Relief Foundation,” supported by the US and Israel, bypassing the UN. Many Palestinians see it as an effort to forcibly relocate people from northern to southern Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel has kept Gaza’s main border crossings sealed since March 2, allowing only a limited number of trucks to enter. The enclave requires a minimum of 500 aid trucks per day to meet basic needs.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.