Politicizing US-led Gaza food aid only serves Hamas and other Israel-haters
On Tuesday, the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing food to civilians in the war-wracked area — and the voices who'd been loudest about 'starvation' in Gaza complained.
The United Nations and established international aid groups insist this work undermines the 'principles' of humanitarian assistance because GHF cooperates with the Israeli Defense Forces but not with Hamas.
Past aid efforts in Gaza have supposedly been 'neutral' between the warring parties — which in practice meant siding with Hamas, which has routinely appropriated much or most of the supplies for itself.
On its first day, GHF handed out 10,000-plus boxes of food at the first of four planned distribution sites; things didn't always run smoothly, but the terrorists who started this war for once didn't get to run the show.
The UN 'neutrality' standard is insane here: Israel is a law-abiding nation acting openly to protect its people; Hamas breaks the laws of war every day it fights on.
Plus this war has exposed the fact that Hamas had basically taken over the Gaza branch of UNWRA, the UN's agency for Palestinian relief.
The fact is, Israel has no obligation to allow any aid into Gaza if it's going to be diverted to Hamas; the IDF is going above and beyond in risking its own troops' lives to secure an outer perimeter so GHF workers can see civilians fed.
Hamas, meanwhile warned Gazans to stay away from the GHF sites under threats of murder or torture for any and all who sought to feed their undernourished children and elderly.
The threats failed: Gazans overran the Hamas blockades.
The European nations that have taken to condemning Israel for continuing to seek Hamas' surrender or destruction should take note.
Hamas is the side out to commit genocide here, and wholly responsible for normal Gazans' suffering — and those civilians know it.
The Europeans and UN functionaries need to quit enabling the real war criminals, and start supporting Israel, the region's beacon of humanitarianism.
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