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Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Gaza foundation is a humanitarian face to mask Israel's genocide
Amid the relentless mass killings, starvation and dispossession in the ruins of Gaza, Israel continues to intertwine genocidal attacks with a humanitarian discourse of caring about civilian suffering. The latest iteration of this strategy of concealing genocidal intent is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) - a joint Israeli-US scheme marketed to an international liberal audience as a gesture of compliance with humanitarian norms during military operations. In practice, however, the GHF is yet another example of Israel's pursuit of eliminationist violence under the pretext of humanitarian actions. On 16 May, Israel launched a ground invasion named Operation Gideon's Chariots, signalling what appears to be the final phase in a genocidal campaign to permanently recolonise Gaza. Just a week earlier, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification issued a dire warning: one in five Palestinians in Gaza is now facing starvation. A UN official further cautioned that, under the intensifying siege, as many as 14,000 Palestinian babies could die. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As international attention refocuses on the use of starvation as a weapon of war, the GHF was already fulfilling its function even before becoming operational. Major news outlets have shifted to debating the legitimacy of the GHF initiative, effectively diverting focus from the ongoing daily massacres. A fig leaf for genocide The relatively obscure GHF, incorporated in Switzerland, has recently begun distributing aid from hubs secured by the Israeli military and foreign private contractors. Any aid distribution by the UN or other organisations would be required to operate through these designated sites. The news emerging from the first day of operations was shocking, though entirely predictable. First, large crowds of desperate, starving Palestinians were caged in dehumanising conditions within a militarised zone as they waited for small parcels of food unlikely to sustain families for long. Then, when the authorities at the aid distribution point lost control of the process and chaos erupted, the Israeli military opened fire on the crowd, reportedly killing at least one person and injuring 48. Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: Israel's new model for weaponised aid Read More » At the heart of the GHF's plan is the intention to provide limited food aid to a starving population on the condition that they accept mass displacement from one part of Gaza's territory to another. In the words of Tom Fletcher, the UN's under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, it is a "fig leaf for further violence and displacement". Even the recently resigned head of the GHF - Jake Wood, a former US marine who served in the imperial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - refused to continue with the plans. This latest system strongly evokes practices that are rooted in the colonial history of genocide in general and part of the phenomenon of concentration camps in particular. The emergence of concentration camps in the late 19th and early 20th century has brought about the enclavisation of indigenous people in reservations and the expulsion of unwanted populations from their original places of residence to uninhabitable spaces to make way for the development of territory for settlers. Israel has been experimenting with this type of internment zone since the early stages of the genocide. Following the failure of the Israeli army-led "humanitarian bubbles" trialled in January 2024 - zones that were supposed to be administered by local figures without ties to Hamas - Israel explored outsourcing aid delivery to private security contractors. A turning point in Israel's decision to subcontract aid distribution took place after what came to be known as the "flour massacre" of 29 February 2024, when Israeli soldiers indiscriminately shot on crowds of Palestinians desperately gathered to collect flour in the south-west of Gaza City. The attack killed at least 112 people and injured around 760. In response, the US began air-dropping food over Gaza. However, these efforts quickly came to symbolise the inefficacy of such measures. In one occasion, a pallet of aid dropped from a US military aircraft killed five Palestinians and injured 10 more after the parachutes failed to deploy properly. In coordination with the US, Israeli forces also oversaw the construction of a temporary floating pier off the coast of Gaza, ostensibly intended to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid by sea. A new plan Beyond serving as a distraction and lending legitimacy to Operation Gideon's Chariots, the aid distribution points established by the GHF may also provide cover for Israeli counterinsurgency operations. This is what seems to have happened in June 2024, when images surfaced showing Israeli special forces operating near the pier during a mission to retrieve prisoners held by Hamas. The operation, which resulted in the killing of more than 200 Palestinians, led many local and international observers to conclude that the pier was being used as camouflage for military action. This latest system strongly evokes practices that are rooted in the colonial history of genocide in general and part of the phenomenon of concentration camps in particular During the same operation, Israeli forces masquerading as civilians used humanitarian aid trucks to infiltrate Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp and carry out the deadly assault. In conjunction with the GHF, Israel is seeking to introduce a new aid distribution plan in which essential supplies will be provided to pre-screened individuals. Recipients will receive text messages on their cell phones informing them when and where to collect their aid packages, but only after identity verification via facial recognition software. The US and Israel justify these measures by claiming they are necessary to prevent Hamas from stealing aid, yet they have offered little concrete evidence to support this allegation. Notably, this aggressive humanitarian face used to mask the terror and destruction of colonial violence is also prevalent within Israel's far-right and religious Zionist camp. Leading figures in this camp, including government ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich, have framed the mass expulsion of Palestinians into Egypt and beyond as a "humanitarian solution". Legitimising genocidal violence What we are witnessing, then, is a pattern of humanitarianising genocide. This notion overlaps, in part, with the concepts of "humanitarian camouflage" and "humanitarian violence". Those concepts' explanatory power lies in revealing how Israel distorts international humanitarian law's protective regulations on evacuations, safe zones and human shields - to take some prominent examples - in order to legitimise genocidal violence. Humanitarianisation also captures the Israeli appropriation of practices rooted in the contemporary global humanitarian system, namely aid provision and refugee resettlement. This involves enacting a scorched-earth policy of destruction in collaboration with aid organisations, private security contractors, and militaries willing to provide humanitarian assistance, as well as framing genocidal expulsions as a benign form of humanitarian resettlement. International aid organisations working in Gaza have so far rightly refused to cooperate with the GHF. Crucially, the ongoing catastrophe must become a reckoning moment for an international humanitarian sector for too long plagued by collusion with dominant powers through individualistic notions of neutrality. Anti-colonial solidarity with liberation movements remains the only path forward to collectively insist upon the emancipation of all. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Middle East Eye
7 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel's US-backed Gaza aid plan may lead to second Nakba, UN agency chief warns
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has told Middle East Eye that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to fully seize Gaza, coupled with the new Israeli-US aid distribution plan for the enclave, appears to be a prelude to a second Nakba. Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of Unrwa, also criticised Israel for sending a small convoy of trucks carrying vital supplies into the enclave, saying it was "far too little" and that "everyone in Gaza is [going] hungry". "For the time being, what we are talking about is a drop in a sea of distress and in a sea of needs," he told MEE in a wide-ranging interview in the Swiss city of Geneva. "We are confronted with a completely fabricated, man-made hunger. Hunger is deepening and starvation seems to be used as a weapon of war," he added. Global outrage has been steadily rising after Israel resumed its siege on Gaza 11 weeks ago, leaving nearly the entire population of 2.1 million Palestinians on the brink of starvation, with medicine and fuel supplies exhausted. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The siege has led to warnings by a UN hunger monitoring mechanism and triggered unprecedented criticism from Israel's western allies, including the UK, Canada and France. The countries have warned they would take "concrete action", including sanctions, if Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza and siege on humanitarian aid. The Netanyahu government, however, has largely ignored the international outcry. On Wednesday, Netanyahu reiterated his government's intention to fully occupy Gaza and to implement a new US-backed aid distribution scheme that would effectively replace all UN humanitarian relief in Gaza. The scheme will be managed by a Geneva-based entity called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which would manage the delivery of aid to pre-screened Palestinians at a number of distribution centres in the south of the enclave. 'We have seen during the ceasefire... that when there are no obstacles, no hindrances, that the humanitarian community was capable of significantly scaling up its assistance and reaching the people in need' - Philippe Lazzarini He outlined the plan in a televised speech on Wednesday, saying it aims to prevent Hamas from controlling humanitarian aid. The plan has three stages: the first involves the entry of "basic food supplies" into Gaza; the second entails setting up food distribution points managed by US companies and secured by the Israeli army; in the third stage, Netanyahu said, Israel plans to create a "sterile zone" in southern Gaza, where the civilian population would be relocated from combat zones. "In this zone - free of Hamas - the people of Gaza will receive the full range of humanitarian aid," Netanyahu said. But UN officials, including Lazzarini, have rejected the plan as an attempt to supplant the UN's existing humanitarian distribution system in Gaza. "My question to start with is why reinvent the wheel?" he told MEE. Lazzarini said that prior to the current siege, the UN and its partner NGOs had been able to avert famine. But their efforts have since been upended by the renewed ban on aid. "We have seen during the ceasefire, two months or two and a half months ago, that when there are no obstacles, no hindrances, that the humanitarian community was capable of significantly scaling up its assistance and reaching the people in need,' he said. Lacks independence, impartiality and humanity Lazzarini described the aid plan as "an instrument of a forced displacement of the population", essentially making it a war crime and crime against humanity under international law. He pointed out that the scheme appears to be part of the Israeli army's intent to force the population from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip. 'It is not possible for a humanitarian organisation, which truly respects the basic humanitarian principles, to adhere to such a scheme' - Philippe Lazzarini He said that Unrwa currently operates 400 food distribution points across Gaza. However, the new foundation is centralising aid delivery to designated areas in the south, requiring people to travel from across the enclave to access basic food and supplies before returning to their original locations. "With the new system, the people are asked to go to four different locations, which means it is forcing the people to move from where they are and, in fact, to regroup around this distribution cluster," he explained. "So it becomes an instrument of a forced displacement of the population." Secondly, Lazzarini said the system requires prior vetting of aid recipients, which would contravene humanitarian norms of non-discriminatory aid distribution. "It's a plan which falls short of aligning or abiding by basic humanitarian principles such as independence, impartiality, but also humanity," he said. "Not everybody will be able to go, which means a number of people will be discriminated against when it comes to the assistance," he pointed out. "But also you need to be in good health to be able to walk hundreds of metres - if not kilometres - to go to pick up your parcel of food and to go back to your family, which also the de facto would eliminate from the distribution scheme the female head of household, for example, or the most vulnerable or elderly people in in the Gaza Strip," he added. "It is not possible for a humanitarian organisation, which truly respects the basic humanitarian principles, to adhere to such a scheme." Lazzarini expressed doubts that the new scheme will succeed in replacing the UN's humanitarian system in Gaza. He said its objective is far from being humanitarian. "I do not think that such a model will succeed. But this model seems also to be put in place in order to support more a military objective than a real humanitarian concern." 'Second Nakba' Lazzarini said that Netanyahu's plan to fully seize Gaza, coupled with the new aid distribution plan, appears to be a prelude to a second Nakba. "If Gaza is no land for Palestinians anymore, it will be considered by them as being their second Nakba." Nakba refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948, when 750,000 were forcibly displaced from their homes and became refugees in neighbouring countries. Some 80 percent of the Gaza population are refugees or descendants of refugees displaced since the Nakba. Today, there are 5.8 million Palestinian refugees registered by Unrwa, living in dozens of camps in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Gaza genocide: The West finds new language - but does nothing to stop Israel Read More » Unrwa, whose staff members are mostly Palestinian refugees, has been at the receiving end of Israeli attacks since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. At least 310 of its employees have been killed by the Israeli army over the past 19 months and over 80 percent of its premises have been destroyed. Lazzarini said the organisation continues to operate with its remaining 12,000 staff despite the sustained Israeli attacks. 'Our staff are sharing the fate of the population in Gaza,' he said. Israel's parliament, the Knesset, passed two laws in October 2024 banning Unrwa from operating inside Israel and occupied Palestine. The laws effectively ban Unrwa from operating inside Israel, Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel has since closed six schools operated by Unrwa in occupied East Jerusalem. The ban has triggered an ongoing case before the International Court of Justice, where states are asking the court to rule on Israel's obligations under international law to respect the immunities and privileges of UN agencies and to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to the population under its occupation. Israel's government has long held a hostile stance towards Unrwa, in part because the agency maintains the refugee status of Palestinians expelled from their homes during the 1948 Nakba and their descendants. In late January 2024, Israel accused 12 Unrwa workers of involvement in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks, alleging they had distributed ammunition and aided in civilian kidnappings. However, a UN inquiry published in April last year found no evidence of wrongdoing by Unrwa staff. It also noted that Israel had not responded to requests for names and information and had failed to inform "Unrwa of any concrete concerns relating to Unrwa staff since 2011".
Express Tribune
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
UN chief rejects Israeli-US Gaza aid plan, citing violation of UN principles
Listen to article UN Secretary-General António Guterres has reiterated his rejection of a joint Israeli-US plan to bypass the United Nations in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, warning that such efforts must adhere strictly to international law and humanitarian principles. Speaking at the Arab League summit in Baghdad on Saturday, Guterres declared, 'The UN will not participate in any so-called aid operation that does not adhere to the principles of humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality.' His remarks come just two days after satellite images revealed new aid distribution centers being constructed inside Gaza, as Israel seeks to coordinate deliveries through third parties. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon claimed the plan would ensure aid reaches civilians and not Hamas. But Guterres has dismissed such unilateral arrangements as illegitimate under international law. Guterres's address was delivered during a tense Arab League summit where the war in Gaza dominated the agenda. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani opened the summit with a scathing condemnation of the conflict: 'This genocide has reached a level of ugliness unparalleled in all conflicts in history.' The UN chief echoed those concerns and issued a renewed call for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, which has been under a near-total blockade since March as Israel increases pressure on Hamas. He also warned against reported Israeli plans to expand ground operations in Gaza, adding, 'I am alarmed by these developments and urge restraint.' Beyond Gaza, Guterres used his speech to highlight a series of flashpoints across the Middle East and North Africa. In the West Bank, he condemned expanding Israeli settlements, calling them 'illegal' under international law, and stressed the urgency of preserving the two-state solution. 'The world, the region — and, most of all, the people of Palestine and Israel — cannot afford to watch the two-state solution disappear before our eyes,' he said, referencing next month's high-level peace conference co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France as a key diplomatic opportunity. In Lebanon, he praised the Lebanese government's stated commitment to assert a monopoly over arms and noted UNIFIL's efforts to work with the Lebanese Army in managing Hezbollah's weapons. On Syria, Guterres emphasized the need for a political process grounded in UN Security Council resolution 2254 to ensure inclusive governance and protection for all communities. He welcomed the recent Houthi-US ceasefire in Yemen, brokered by Oman, calling it a step toward a 'Yemeni-led political settlement,' and expressed gratitude to both the Arab League and the African Union for their cooperation on Sudan. Regarding Libya, Guterres said the UN is actively engaged with national and international partners to resolve armed confrontations, preserve institutional independence, and pave the way for long-overdue national elections. Throughout his speech, Guterres lauded Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and underlined the importance of strengthening UN-Arab League collaboration. 'Despite the enormous challenges, let us draw lessons and hope from here in Baghdad,' he said. 'Working in unity and solidarity, we can help resolve conflicts and build a future of peace and prosperity.' 'The Arab League is a vital partner in these efforts,' he added, reaffirming the UN's commitment to deeper regional cooperation.
Egypt Today
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Hamas warns delay in Gaza aid delivery after Alexander's release to hamper prisoner swap talks
CAIRO – 15 May 2025: Hamas said it expected humanitarian aid to enter Gaza immediately, based on understandings reached with the United States and communicated to mediators. The group warned that a delay in this step could hinder a prisoner exchange deal. In a statement on Telegram, Hamas expressed its anticipation of a call for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive negotiations on all issues aimed at achieving regional security and stability in line with these understandings. The statement mentioned the recent release of Israeli-US soldier Edan Alexander, saying it was 'part of the Islamic resistance movement's commitment to alleviating the suffering of our people by halting the aggression and opening the crossings for humanitarian aid deliveries.' 'However, failure to implement these steps, especially the entry of humanitarian aid, will cast a negative shadow over any efforts to finalize negotiations on the prisoner exchange process.' US President Donald Trump said his administration 'shares the hope of a future of safety and dignity for the Palestinian people,' as he addressed the US-Gulf summit, held in Riyadh on Wednesday#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps:// — Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) May 14, 2025 Alexander's release marked a significant day for both the US and Israel, following direct talks between Hamas and the US. He was reunited with his family on Monday after spending 583 days in captivity since October 7, 2023. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly formed US-backed aid group, announced today that it will begin aid deliveries to Gaza by the end of May, stating that Israel has agreed to resume aid after a blockade lasting over two months, according to media reports. The GHF asserted that Tel Aviv has approved 'the flow of transitional aid into Gaza under existing mechanisms' until the construction of Safe Distribution Sites (SDSs) is completed, although this will take time. The UN has shown reluctance to cooperate with the newly formed charity. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher criticized the plan as a 'fig leaf for further violence and displacement' of Palestinians in Gaza. Concerns have also been raised by Amnesty International regarding the legality of the foundation's operations and its potential complicity in Israel's occupation. According to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, American plans aim to deliver food aid to Gaza's eligible populations without allowing it to fall into the hands of Hamas. Since early March, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid bound for Gaza and resumed military operations two weeks later, shattering a ceasefire that had facilitated the release of dozens of captives and the entry of thousands of aid trucks. The Israeli war in Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 52,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, many of them women and children.
Egypt Today
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Hamas says it expects immediate Gaza aid delivery after Alexander's release
CAIRO – 15 May 2025: Hamas announced that it expects humanitarian aid to enter Gaza immediately, based on understandings reached with the United States and communicated to mediators. The group warned that a delay in this step could hinder a prisoner exchange deal. In a statement on Telegram, Hamas expressed its anticipation of a call for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive negotiations on all issues aimed at achieving regional security and stability in line with these understandings. The statement mentioned the recent release of Israeli-US soldier Edan Alexander, saying it was 'part of the Islamic resistance movement's commitment to alleviating the suffering of our people by halting the aggression and opening the crossings for humanitarian aid deliveries.' 'However, failure to implement these steps, especially the entry of humanitarian aid, will cast a negative shadow over any efforts to finalize negotiations on the prisoner exchange process.' US President Donald Trump said his administration 'shares the hope of a future of safety and dignity for the Palestinian people,' as he addressed the US-Gulf summit, held in Riyadh on Wednesday#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps:// — Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) May 14, 2025 Alexander's release marked a significant day for both the US and Israel, following direct talks between Hamas and the US. He was reunited with his family on Monday after spending 583 days in captivity since October 7, 2023. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly formed US-backed aid group, announced today that it will begin aid deliveries to Gaza by the end of May, stating that Israel has agreed to resume aid after a blockade lasting over two months, according to media reports. The GHF asserted that Tel Aviv has approved 'the flow of transitional aid into Gaza under existing mechanisms' until the construction of Safe Distribution Sites (SDSs) is completed, although this will take time. The UN has shown reluctance to cooperate with the newly formed charity. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher criticized the plan as a 'fig leaf for further violence and displacement' of Palestinians in Gaza. Concerns have also been raised by Amnesty International regarding the legality of the foundation's operations and its potential complicity in Israel's occupation. According to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, American plans aim to deliver food aid to Gaza's eligible populations without allowing it to fall into the hands of Hamas. Since early March, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid bound for Gaza and resumed military operations two weeks later, shattering a ceasefire that had facilitated the release of dozens of captives and the entry of thousands of aid trucks. The Israeli war in Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 52,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, many of them women and children.
