The long and deadly walk Gazans are forced to take for a food parcel

Yahoo

2 days ago

Carrying empty sacks and plastic containers, many walked for hours in hopes of collecting basic food supplies for their families.
Gazans are forced to travel long, often dangerous distances — through active combat zones — to reach new, controversial aid distribution sites.
The journey is impossible for many disabled or injured people, as well as the elderly and families with small children.
Many of those who can take the risk of being killed in an active war zone and of being shot during chaotic scenes at aid centres say the journey for aid is worth it.
Ahmed Bashir, 36, walked more than 12 kilometres to reach the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) centre. "My feet and back hurt," says the father of several children, "but coming back with a parcel of food is a victory."
The package — containing flour, rice, pasta, sugar, salt, and tea — can last a family about a week, Bashir estimates.
"Every morning I wake up wondering if I can feed my children today."
Still, Bashir, who lives with his children in the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone after being driven from his home during Israel's Gaza offensive, feels conflicted. "It feels like we're being manipulated. Like they want us to forget where we come from."
Israeli soldiers have been accused of opening fire and killing dozens of people seeking aid amid chaotic scenes during the distribution of food in the new centre in Rafah in Gaza's south.
GHF employees have denied killings and say they fire warning shots when Palestinians rush to the front, forcing employees of the US company to retreat.
Israel halted aid deliveries in March
Most of the population in Gaza has been desperate for food since Israel began blocking all aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip in March, before it ended a ceasefire with the Islamist Hamas.
It has justified its moves as increasing pressure on the group to release the remaining hostages.
According to Israel, at least 20 hostages are still alive and being held in Gaza by Hamas or affiliated militant groups.
The fate of three other captives remains uncertain, while the bodies of 35 abductees have been identified. Former hostages have described their captivity as brutal, recounting experiences of torture, humiliation and being kept in chains.
Israel began its offensive in Gaza more than a year and a half ago after the Hamas-led attacks in October 2023 which killed around 1,200 people.
Israel's offensive has since killed more than 53,000 according to the Hamas-led Health Ministry. External analysis suggests the death toll is significantly higher in reality.
According to the GHF, which was established just a few months ago, the controversial aid system requires one representative from each Palestinian family to visit a distribution centre every five days to collect a food parcel.
According to the organization, around 8,000 food parcels have been distributed so far — each intended to sustain roughly 5.5 people for 3.5 days — providing a total of approximately 462,000 meals.
In its initial phase, the system is expected to reach only about 60% of Gaza's population. Roughly two million Palestinians live in the war-torn territory, many of whom have been displaced multiple times by ongoing fighting.
UN considers the new aid mechanism dangerous
With the establishment of four initial distribution points in the southern and central Gaza Strip, Israel says it aims to bypass the United Nations and other international aid organizations.
The stated goal is to prevent Hamas from intercepting supplies or profiting from them. However, UN officials have criticized the plan, noting that Israel has not provided concrete evidence that aid is being diverted by Hamas.
The United Nations has also warned that the new aid mechanism is both inefficient and unsafe. Critics say the system fails to meet the basic standards of humanitarian relief and that Israel is using hunger to kettle starving civilians into Gaza's south.
"Aid should be coordinated by the United Nations, not by an unknown foundation," says Ibtisam Abu Salem, a nurse from central Gaza.
Adding to the disruption, deliveries are frequently halted whenever the Israeli army issues new evacuation orders — a recurring occurrence in the volatile region.
Many residents say they are physically and emotionally exhausted, worn down not only by fear of attacks but also by the repeated calls to flee their homes.
Locals suspicious of new system
Many in Gaza express scepticism and mistrust of the new system. "We don't know who is behind it," says Ibrahim Abdul Jawad, who lives in the City of Gaza in the north.
He believes that people are afraid that the operators are working with the Israeli military and that there could be arrests or pressure to help Israeli intelligence services in the distribution centres.
The Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry has called on residents to boycott the new distribution mechanism, claiming the new system is part of an intelligence gathering operation.
"We don't want any help from unknown groups," says Abu Chalid, an elderly man who comes from Beit Lahia in the north of the coastal strip.
Forced to flee to Nuseirat in central Gaza during the war, he shares the concern about potential arrests at the newly established aid distribution centres.
"We trust [the UN agency for Palestinian refugees] because it has been here for decades," says the Palestinian, who used to be a farmer.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) employs around 13,000 people in the Gaza Strip. Israel accuses the organization of being infiltrated by the Islamist Hamas.
Israel has not provided evidence to back up its claim, which the UN body denies.
Jalal Hamatu, another father, speaks with bitter clarity: "The world is debating our existence while we starve. We don't need speeches — we need bread."