Israel using aid as a weapon of war: Palestinian UN envoy - War on Gaza

Al-Ahram Weekly

a day ago

As famine tightens its grip on Gaza, Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour accused Israel of weaponising both hunger and humanitarian aid, warning that the war has turned even relief into a tool of siege, during a UN Security Council session on Wednesday.
This hearing is happening against a backdrop of utter despair in Gaza and the sidelining of the United Nations in its efforts to bring aid to Gaza. The longest-standing aid operations in Gaza, of course, have been from the UN.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, stressed that Israel used 'starvation being used as a weapon of war, now we see aid being used as a weapon of war'.
He pointed to repeated public statements by Israeli officials as evidence of Israel's deliberate policy of using humanitarian aid as a tool to advance its military and political objectives.
'There is cruelty in the bombardments, cruelty in the wanton destruction, cruelty in the blockade, and even cruelty in the distribution of very limited aid', added Mansour.
He said Israel's deliberate manipulation of aid deliveries amounts to a new form of aggression against Palestinians already reeling under occupation.
Mansour rejected the framing of limited aid deliveries as a humanitarian gesture. 'Who said these should be our choices? A full blockade against an entire civilian population, including 1 million children, depriving them of food, water, medicine, shelter – or a system of aid that is degrading, discriminatory, limited to food and limited in quantity, and which aims at the forcible displacement of the population and at facilitating the unlawful seizing of land.'
Mansour also described the desperation of Palestinians who have been forced to break through barriers just to access basic aid. 'The images of hungry, desperate people storming out of the cages they were forced into, in order to get aid, is gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. These are people, human beings, deprived of water, food, medicine for so long, and hanging to life by a thread.'
The Algerian Ambassador asked the hearing session, 'How many more must die before action is taken by the Security Council? How many orphans must roam the ruins of Gaza? How much more blood must be spilt before this council acknowledges that enough is enough? The time for indecision is over'.
On his part, the Danish envoy said that it is necessary to represent 'the overwhelming majority of voices in the Security Council when it comes to humanitarian aid being allowed to flow freely and at scale in Gaza'.
The ambassador talked about the need for medical access as well, again highlighting the unbearable conditions of people on the ground and the growing concern among the international community that this could not be allowed to go on.
'The highly limited [aid] quantities of recent days are insufficient when it comes to meeting the needs of the populations, especially after 12 long weeks of total blockade. The images of desperate, starving people throwing themselves on trucks and aid distribution points are a tragic illustration of this,' said the French ambassador.
Violent settlers assaults
In the session, Sigrid Kaag, the special coordinator for Middle East peace, talked to the council about the need to allow the UN back into Gaza, to have unfettered access to the people there, to do the job that they are uniquely qualified to do.
James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN said Israel must immediately let aid into Gaza and enable the UN to operate. "The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Civilians face starvation, displacement and trauma."
"Our message to Prime Minister Netanyahu is clear: let aid in and enable the UN to operate, now," he added
The Brtish diplomat also condemned the Israeli government's "unacceptable intention" to take control of the Gaza Strip. "Permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law."
He also condemned the israeli violence in the rest of the occupied Palestinian terriotries: the West Bank and Jerusalem.
"Violent settlers continue to assault and abuse Palestinians, forcing entire communities to flee. In Jerusalem, provocative visits to Holy Sites and inflammatory language by Israeli ministers are adding to the tensions."
Chanting 'Death to Arabs' and singing 'May your village burn,' young Israeli Jews made their way through Palestinian neighbourhoods of Jerusalem's Old City on Monday, attacking residents of the occupied city.
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