Gaza Is The ‘Hungriest Place On Earth', As Israel Continues Stranglehold On Aid
'Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth,' OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva, stressing that it is the only defined territory in the world where the entire population is at risk of famine.
' The aid operation that we have ready to roll is being put in an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations, not only in the world today, but in recent history,' he said.
Mr. Laerke explained that out of nearly 900 aid trucks that were approved to enter from the Israeli side since the reopening of the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and the war-torn enclave ten days ago, less than 600 have been offloaded on the Gaza side.
An even lower number has been picked up for distribution in Gaza, he said, pointing to the 'congested, insecure' routes which humanitarians are assigned to use by the Israeli authorities, as well as 'significant delays' in the approvals.
Drip-feed of desperation
The OCHA spokesperson stressed that the limited number of truckloads coming in is a 'trickle'.
' It is drip-feeding food into an area on the verge of catastrophic hunger,' he insisted.
Mr. Laerke added that many of the trucks were 'swarmed by desperate people' on the way.
'It's a survival reaction by desperate people who want to feed their families,' he said, adding that the aid on the trucks 'had been paid for by the donors to go to those people'.
'I don't blame them one second for taking the aid that essentially is already theirs, but it's not distributed in a way we wanted,' he explained.
On Wednesday, hungry crowds overran a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where limited stocks of wheat flour had been pre-positioned for use by the few bakeries able to resume operations.
The incident reportedly left two people dead. In a statement WFP reiterated warnings over 'the risks imposed by limiting humanitarian aid to hungry people in desperate need of assistance'.
'Paid for' aid must be delivered
OCHA's Mr. Laerke insisted once again on the fact that the UN and partners have 'tens of thousands of pallets of food and other life-saving assistance' ready to enter Gaza to relieve the suffering.
' The aid has been paid for by the world's donors, who expect us on their behalf to deliver it. It is cleared for customs, it is approved and it's ready to move,' he said.
A new US and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme run by a private entity called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operating independently of the UN this week in the Strip.
On Tuesday at least 47 Palestinians were reportedly shot and injured trying to collect aid from its distribution facility in the south, according to information received by UN human rights office, OHCHR.
Aid scheme to bypass UN 'not working'
In reaction to the incident OCHA head in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Jonathan Whittall warned on Wednesday that the US-Israeli distribution scheme was "engineered scarcity: four distribution hubs located in central and southern Gaza, secured by private US security contractors, where those Palestinians who can reach them will receive rations."
Mr. Laerke told reporters that this 'alternative modality' is 'not working' as it does not meet people's needs.
He added that it constitutes a 'violation of basic principle of impartiality', and that criteria for getting aid have to be based on need, and not the ability to walk for kilometres to a distribution point.
' It creates chaos, and it creates a situation that is extremely dangerous for people,' Mr. Laerke said. 'Even if you enter one of those distribution points, pick up a package, the minute you're out of it… Are you a target for looters again? Yes, you are.'
The OCHA spokesperson reiterated calls by the humanitarian community for the reopening of all crossing points into Gaza, to enable delivery from all corridors, including from Jordan and Egypt.
'We need to be able to deliver food directly to families where they are,' as has been the case in the past, he said.
Highlighting the challenges for humanitarian access, Mr. Laerke said that over 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip is currently within Israeli militarized zones or under displacement orders. Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed on 18 March nearly 635,000 people in the enclave have been displaced yet again.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
From Summits To Street Art To Schools: Here's How We're Marking World Environment Day
5 June 2025 Around the world, civil society groups and UN teams are hosting webinars, forums, summits and other diverse celebrations. It's a collective effort that's drawing together different wings of the UN from Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to UN Peacekeeping. Worldwide events On Tuesday, Qatar launched a national biodiversity database, concluding a three-year UNEP-led project. In the Indian capital New Delhi, UNEP hosted the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge National Youth Summit on Tuesday to empower young people to take action to end plastic pollution. As host, Jeju held a commemoration ceremony and the Future Generation Forum on Thursday. Mexico launched its 2025–2030 National Beach and Coastal Clean-Up and Conservation Campaign in Puerto Progreso, Yucatán, with volunteer brigades and a formal ceremony. In Geneva, UNEP and the Orchestre des Nations are presenting a one-hour concert, Our Home, blending music, images and spoken word to highlight ecological emergencies. Brussels is screening the documentary Ocean with legendary environmental campaigner and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, in honour of World Environment Day, World Oceans Day and the UN Ocean Conference. In the United States, Street Art for Mankind unveiled a 245-foot mural for World Environment Day as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, calling for better protection for vulnerable communities. UNESCO initiative In a statement released Thursday, UNESCO reported that over 80,000 schools across 87 countries are following the recommendations in the Green school quality standard released in May 2024. The initiative promotes green learning environments through governance, facilities and operations, teaching, and community engagement. This includes setting up 'green governance committees' and training teachers in sustainable management practices. Peacekeeping and the environment In a video released Wednesday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare and Environment Section Chief Joanna Harvey outlined how UN Peacekeeping is reducing its environmental footprint. Efforts over the past decade include bringing renewable energy to missions, requiring newer, more efficient generators, supporting local energy providers, and investing in sustainable infrastructure. 'We want to leave behind a legacy… [of] projects that are created by us which are finally beneficial to the local communities,' said Mr. Khare.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Postscript On Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide And New Zealand Recognition Of Palestine
My last Political Bytes post (28 May) discussed why New Zealand should officially recognise the state of Palestine: New Zealand should recognise Palestinian state. The heading I gave the post was Reasons for supporting ethnic cleansing, through genocide, in Palestine. This was my attempt at irony; by exploring the reasons that underpin the support for the genocidal ethnic cleansing in order to rebut them. Broadly speaking it appeared to work although, for some, it raised some eyebrows of initial confusion; was I actually supporting ethnic cleansing. It also generated two particularly thoughtful responses that deserve further comment. The first concerned Jews who are horrified over, and vehemently opposed to, Israel's war against Palestinians, particularly in Gaza but also the occupied West Bank. The second involved the two-state solution proposal. Both are worthy of further consideration. Jews against ethnic cleansing (and genocide) Dr David Galler is a retired intensive care specialist who spent most of his medical career in Middlemore Hospital. He was also a longstanding National Executive member of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (including as Vice President and President) while I was its Executive Director. Today he is actively involved in Healthcare Aotearoa with its strong focus on public (population) heath and is a health commentator. Dr David Galler outraged by genocide pursued in the name of Jews like him Coincidentally Dr Galler emailed the Israeli Embassy in New Zealand the day before my above-mentioned post. I reprint it below (with his express permission): I am Jewish My parents were Polish Jews My mother was a child in Auschwitz and survived the Death March She lost her family in the Katowice ghetto and at Auschwitz She arrived in Haifa in 1947 My father escaped Poland in 1939 but lost most of his family and married my mother in Tel Aviv My great father was the Chief Rabbi of Poland I am writing to express my utter disgust at Israel's vile and horrific genocide in Gaza Say what you will, but there's no excuse for what you are doing there – you have destroyed any good will the world had for you and the plight of my ancestors. You have brutalised your own population and actively stoked the fires of antisemitism across the world How dare your PM, a man who has done more damage to Israel than the Palestinians ever could, and your state accuse people like me of antisemitism for criticising your disregard for international law and human rights. Shame on you and shame on your government. David Galler Jews opposed to Zionism is not new Opposition among Jews to Zionism is not new. On 15 March I posted in Political Bytes about the relationship between apartheid and Zionism: When Apartheid met Zionism. Jewish immigration to South Africa from the late 19th century brought two powerful competing ideas to from Eastern Europe. One was Zionism while the other was the Bundists with a strong radical commitment to justice. It is easy to forget that historically speaking, since Palestine in the time of Jesus Christ, Zionism is a relatively new ideology. Further, Jewish opposition to Israel is as old as Zionism itself. A critical turning point in my understanding of Palestine and Israel was reading Maxime Rodinson's Israel and the Arabs first published in 1968. Rodinson was from a Jewish family (his father was a prominent Bundist leader). His central argument was that the Israel-Palestinian conflict was essentially …the struggle of an indigenous population against the occupation of its normal territory by foreigners… I was also struck by his clarifying explanation of the word 'semitic.' The common perception is that semitic refers to the Hebrew language. In fact, it also includes the Arabic language. In other words, Palestinians are as semitic as Jews, but Zionism has monopolised the use of the term to apply exclusively to the latter. Joseph Massad, of Christian Palestinian origin and from Jordan, is Professor of Modern Arab Politics at New York's Columbia University. In Middle East Eye (29 February 2024) he reports that European and American Jews have been at the forefront of opposition to Zionism since its birth as a colonial-settler movement at the end of the 19th century: Jewish opposition to Zionist Israel is as old as Zionism itself. Witness this article published in the UK Jewish News (16 April) on the critical views of some Jewish leaders to Israel's conduct in Gaza now: UK Jewish leaders oppose Israel's war in Gaza. It is noteworthy that many Jews are at the forefront of the large protests over Israel's war against Palestinians in Gaza (and oppression of Palestinians on the West Bank) throughout the world, including New Zealand. It is hardly surprising that David Galler is so frustrated and angry. Ethnic cleansing through genocide is being justified in the name of his ethnicity. The extremist Israeli government has weaponised antisemitism to apply to genocide in his and many other Jews names. Two-state solution: a delusion? The second response came from retired journalist John Trezise who publishes on his Kiwis website. He posted the following: New Zealand should recognise Palestinian statehood as an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians in their struggle for equal rights against the Zionists and their apartheid state Israel. However, I agree with Gideon Levy that the possibility of a Palestinian state becoming a reality is long gone: 'The two-state solution died a long time ago, unfortunately, and it cannot be revived in the present circumstances. We have a government that in the last 15 years did anything possible to destroy this solution; it was destroyed. There are 7,00,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank who will never be replaced or evacuated. Without their evacuation, there is no room, no physical room for a Palestinian state, not for a viable one. Therefore, I think it's time to stop dreaming about the two-state solution. The only vision left, except for an apartheid state, is obviously a democracy between the river and the sea. I don't see any other alternative. It's a long way to go, but at least let's start talking about it. Let's start dreaming about it. Let's start realising that the only choice now is between an apartheid state between the river and the sea or a democracy between the river and the sea.' His quote from Gideon Levy is important. Levy is an Israeli journalist and author. He writes opinion pieces and a weekly column for the newspaper Haaretz that often focus on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Levy is a courageous journalist who truly practices truth to power. He has won prizes for his articles on human rights in the Israeli-occupied territories. In 2021 he won Israel's top award for journalism. In short, I agree with what he says in the above quote forwarded by John Trezise. Levy was right to advocate starting a conversation over a democratic one-state solution from the Jordanian River to the Mediterranean. That is what British Mandate Palestine was (minus the democratic bit) before 1948. Subsequently, but still decades ago, Fatah advocated a secular democratic Palestine on the same landmass as under the Mandate. I agreed with this position then and still do, despite how inconceivable this appears in this moment of historical time. Interestingly, when he was close to Fatah 'back in the day' (when this organisation was dominant among Palestinians) Palestinian intellectual Edward Said advocated a two-state solution. It was rejected by Fatah at the time. However, Said promoted it on a more robust geographic basis than what the Oslo Accords subsequently provided for. He saw his proposal as providing the basis for discussion on transitioning to the single state idea. Rightly so Said was a strong critic of the Oslo Accords because it was well short of this objective. Instead, they resembled the infamous and racist 'Bantustans' of apartheid South Africa. Recognising Palestinian Territories as a sovereign country could be the starting point for a wider conversation about the future of Israel and Palestine My support for New Zealand recognising the Palestinian Territories as the official state of Palestine, however, was in the context of a small step in the right direction towards Gideon Levy's above-mentioned conversation and the importance of solidarity with the victims of repression in one territory and genocide in the other. Final word I will leave the final word to Don Carson who has been persistently and cogently advocating for Palestinian rights since the 1970s. An email he sent me after reading my post prompted this postscript. In his words: Great piece Ian, especially the historical context and demography Only issue I would have is that sanctions on Israel should be the priority; IDF [Israel Defence Force] visitors Close the Embassy Trade and bilateral Suspend Israel from the UN I could not agree more. Ian Powell Otaihanga Second Opinion is a regular health systems blog in New Zealand. Ian Powell is the editor of the health systems blog 'Otaihanga Second Opinion.' He is also a columnist for New Zealand Doctor, occasional columnist for the Sunday Star Times, and contributor to the Victoria University hosted Democracy Project. For over 30 years , until December 2019, he was the Executive Director of Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, the union representing senior doctors and dentists in New Zealand.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
27 killed as Israeli army opens fire near Gaza aid point
A plume of smoke erupts as vehicles move along a road used by displaced people fleeing from Khan Yunis westwards to al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip on June 3, 2025 after the Israeli military had issued an evacuation order the previous day. Photo / AFP Twenty-seven people were killed in southern Gaza on Tuesday as Israeli troops opened fire near a US-backed aid centre, with the military saying the incident was under investigation. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid as 'unacceptable', and the world body's rights chief condemned
