Deadly break in at UN warehouse as aid trickles into Gaza
UN VS GHF
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel's killing of Hamas Gaza chief Mohammad Sinwar marked a turn towards the 'complete defeat of Hamas', adding that Israel was 'taking control of food distribution' in Gaza.
Israel has accused Hamas of diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied stealing aid.
At the UN, more than half the Security Council called on Wednesday for the 15-member body to act on Gaza. Slovenia's UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar said some members are working on a draft resolution to demand unimpeded aid access.
'Remaining silent is not an option,' he told the council.
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the Security Council that Israel would allow aid deliveries 'for the immediate future' via both the UN and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began aid deliveries on Monday.
However, Israel ultimately wants the UN to work through the GHF, which is using private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution by civilian teams at so-called secure distribution sites.
'The UN should put their ego aside and co-operate with the new mechanism,' Danon told reporters before the council meeting.
The UN and other international aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say the plan is not neutral.
'This new scheme is surveillance-based rationing that legitimises a policy of deprivation by design,' senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, Jonathan Whittall, told reporters in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
'The UN has refused to participate in this scheme, warning that it is logistically unworkable and violates humanitarian principles by using aid as a tool in Israel's broader efforts to depopulate areas of Gaza,' he said.
WARNING SHOTS
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, told Reuters it was 'sad and disgusting' that the UN and other groups would not work with the GHF, describing the foundation's aid distribution as 'effective so far'.
The Israeli military on Tuesday said it fired warning shots in the area outside a GHF distribution site, which was briefly rushed by people waiting for aid. Footage shared on social media showed fences broken down by crowds as private security contractors fell back before restoring order.
'I am a big man, but I couldn't hold back my tears when I saw the images of women, men and children racing for some food,' said Rabah Rezik, 65, a father of seven from Gaza City.
The UN human rights office said on Wednesday that 47 people had been injured on Tuesday while seeking aid from the GHF, citing information from partners on the ground. It could not give a specific location of where people were injured. The GHF said no-one was injured at the distribution site.
The foundation said aid distribution continued on Wednesday without incident as it opened a second distribution hub. Across the two sites it has so far given out the equivalent of 840,262 meals. The GHF said it is working to open four sites and expand further in Gaza in the weeks ahead.
The UN said that since aid deliveries resumed last week Israel had approved about 800 truckloads of relief.
But UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that fewer than 500 truckloads had made it to the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, 'where we and our partners could collect just over 200 of them — limited by insecurity and restricted access.'
Israel is under pressure over Gaza's dire humanitarian situation. France, Britain, Canada and Germany have said they may take action if the military campaign is not halted. Italy on Wednesday said the offensive had become unacceptable.
Reuters
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