Latest news with #JehadAl-Assar
Days of Palestine
3 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
The Israeli aid mechanism: A deadly trap of killing and displacement
DaysofPal- In a harrowing scene that starkly exposes the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza, thousands of desperate Palestinians swarmed a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution center in Rafah on May 26, triggering chaos that ended in bloodshed. Israeli occupation forces responded to the mass gathering with gunfire, initially into the air, then reportedly at civilians, leaving ten Palestinians dead and at least 62 injured, according to Gaza's Government Media Office. On May 31, the tragedy deepened. Sources at Nasser Medical Complex confirmed that four more Palestinians were killed by Israeli occupation forces while attempting to reach the American company's aid center west of Rafah. These deaths raise further alarm about the conduct and intent behind the militarized aid effort. Israel continued its aerial attacks across the Strip earlier that day. Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting the town of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis. In a separate attack, another was killed and one injured in an airstrike on the al-Sikka area in Gaza City's center. The aid center, backed by the United States and Israel, was established as part of a controversial initiative that bypasses the United Nations and operates under Israeli military supervision. Critics say that in addition to lacking neutrality, the initiative serves as a strategic weapon of war, employing aid as pressure and leverage. 'There was no trace of humanity in what happened,' said Jehad Al-Assar, a Rafah resident who walked for over 90 minutes to reach the center. 'The crowd nearly crushed me. Foreign armed forces stood by and did nothing.' Weaponizing aid: A 'facade for violence and displacement' International condemnation quickly followed. Thomas Fletcher, the UN's top humanitarian official, denounced the program as a 'facade for further violence and displacement,' accusing it of tying aid delivery to Israel's political and security demands. Another UN official bluntly described the plan as 'weaponizing aid.' On May 25, one day before the chaos, GHF Executive Director Jake Wood resigned, citing the impossibility of upholding humanitarian principles under current conditions. 'I will not be part of a plan that entails the forced displacement of Palestinians,' Wood said, urging Israel to open all crossings for unrestricted humanitarian access. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, expressed horror at the violence: 'The images and videos from the GHF aid points are heartbreaking, to say the least… We and our partners have a detailed, principled, operationally sound plan supported by member states to get aid to a desperate population.' Mass displacement and a manufactured famine The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli siege for over 600 days. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has methodically blocked aid, destroyed agricultural infrastructure, and bombed food storage facilities, pushing the enclave of 2.4 million people into catastrophic levels of hunger. The GHF initiative has drawn particular ire for forcing civilians to pass through Israeli military checkpoints and identity checks, with food distribution guarded by armed foreign contractors. The Washington Post called the plan a dangerous militarization of aid delivery that 'portends more chaos and shooting.' Amjad Shawa, director of the Gaza NGO Network, told Al Jazeera that only the UN has the capacity and credibility to deliver aid safely and equitably. 'The goal of establishing military aid points is to pressure the residents of northern Gaza to migrate south,' he said. The Israeli military is still pursuing its campaign of annexation and devastation of territory. On May 31, the Hebrew outlet Walla cited Israeli army sources claiming control over large parts of Khan Younis, stating that areas are being deliberately 'emptied of civilians' and infrastructure destroyed to prevent return. A starvation campaign as a tool of war The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food warned this week that Gaza is entering a new and dangerous phase of its starvation crisis, calling it a 'deliberate campaign of genocide' in flagrant violation of international law. Since early March, Israel has effectively sealed off the Strip, cutting off even basic humanitarian aid, particularly food, to Gaza's north. The Israeli strategy appears designed to engineer mass displacement, using hunger as a lever of control. The Government Media Office in Gaza described the events in Rafah as 'a deliberate massacre and a full-fledged war crime, committed in cold blood against civilians weakened by over 90 days of siege-induced starvation.' Shortlink for this post:
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Not aid, but humiliation': A desperate search for food in Gaza
Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Jehad Al-Assar left his tent in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah early in the morning on a new and exhausting journey to get food for his family. His destination on Wednesday: an aid distribution point in Rafah, in the far south of Gaza, run by the United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Jehad walked a 'gruelling' 10km (6.2 miles) to reach the site, driven along primarily by the weight of responsibility for his pregnant wife and two hungry daughters. With starvation spreading throughout Gaza, a direct result of Israel's months-long blockade on the territory, the GHF site was Jehad's only hope. This is despite the controversy surrounding the organisation, whose own head resigned on Sunday, saying that the GHF could not adhere 'to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence'. The GHF's lack of experience in dealing with aid distribution was highlighted on Tuesday, when at least three Palestinians were killed in the chaos that surrounded the relief effort. But in Gaza, people are hungry and desperate. Jehad is among them. After walking for 90 minutes, the 31-year-old reached the iron gates of the distribution centre, alongside thousands of others, before they suddenly opened. 'Crowds surged in – thousands of people. There was no order at all,' Jehad told Al Jazeera. 'People rushed towards the yard where aid boxes were stacked and moved into the inner hall, where there were more supplies.' 'It was chaos – a real struggle. Men, women, children, all crammed together, pushing to grab whatever they could. No queues, no system – just hunger and disorder,' Jehad added. Inside the hall, people snatched whatever they could carry. 'Anyone who could lift two boxes took them. Sugar and cooking oil were the priorities. They grabbed what they wanted and rushed out.' 'There was no trace of humanity in what happened,' he said. 'I was nearly crushed by the crowd.' Just a short distance away, armed foreign forces stood watching without intervening. Jehad said he approached one of them and confronted him. 'I told them, 'You're not helping – you're overseeing a famine. You should leave. You're not needed here.'' Jehad managed to retrieve only a few items: cans of tuna, a small bag of sugar, some pasta and a packet of biscuits scattered on the ground. He carried them in a plastic bag slung over his shoulder and made the long journey back home. 'I only got a little. I was afraid to stay longer and get trampled in the stampede – but I had to bring back something. My girls need to eat. I have no choice,' he said. When he returned to the tent, his daughters greeted him joyfully – even for the little he had brought. 'My wife and I divide the food we bring home so the kids can eat over several days. We often skip meals. The children can't endure this… and I bear the full responsibility for feeding them,' he Abu Khalil was also among the desperate crowds on Wednesday. The 23-year-old described the crowds rushing to get to the food as 'apocalyptic'. 'Everyone was running. It was chaos. The aid was piled up and everyone just attacked it, grabbing what they could.' Awad said he heard gunfire in the distance, likely targeting young men trying to bypass the designated routes. He expressed deep frustration with the staff. 'I expected the American staff to distribute aid at tables, handing each person their share – not this madness.' The images that emerged on Tuesday and Wednesday have added fuel to international criticism of the GHF, with representatives from several countries denouncing Israel's decision to prevent the United Nations and international humanitarian organisations from bringing aid into Gaza. Israel stopped the entry of aid into Gaza in early March, while a ceasefire was still ongoing. It has since unilaterally broken the ceasefire, and doubled down in its war on Gaza, with the official death toll now more than 54,000 Palestinians. 'We used to receive aid from international agencies and the UN,' said Jehad. 'It was delivered by name, in an organised way – no chaos, no humiliation.' By the end of Wednesday, Gaza's Government Media Office reported that at least 10 Palestinians desperately seeking aid had been killed by Israeli forces in the previous 48 and Jehad were both able to return home with some food. Jehad said that his wife and mother made bread from the pasta, soaking it and then kneading it into dough. His wife used the sugar to make a simple pudding for the children. He will return on Thursday, he said. Even that is better than it is for most people in Gaza. Walaa Abu Sa'da has three children. Her youngest is only 10 months old. The 35-year-old could not bear watching people return to the displacement camp in al-Mawasi in Khan Younis carrying food while her children starved, so she decided to go to Rafah by herself. 'I fought with my husband who refused to go out of fear of the [Israeli] army. I swore I would go myself,' Walaa told Al Jazeera. Entrusting her children to her sister, she joined the crowd heading towards the distribution site. 'My children were on the verge of starving. No milk, no food, not even baby formula. They cried day and night, and I had to beg neighbours for scraps,' she said. 'So I went, regardless of what my husband thought.' But by the time Walaa made it to Rafah, it was too late. 'People were fighting over what little remained. Some were carrying torn parcels,' she said. Walaa left the distribution site empty-handed. On the way back, she saw a man drop a bag of flour from his torn parcel. 'I picked it up and asked if I could have it,' she said. 'He shouted, 'I came all the way from Beit Lahiya in the far north [of Gaza] to get this. I have nine children who are all starving. I'm sorry, sister, I can't give it away,' and he walked off. 'I understood, but his words broke me. I wept for what we've become.' Walaa described the experience as deeply humiliating. She was filled with shame and inferiority. 'I covered my face with my scarf the whole time. I didn't want anyone to recognise me going to get a food parcel,' Walaa, who is a teacher with a bachelor's degree in geography, said. Despite her sorrow, Walaa says she will do it again if needed. 'There's no dignity left when your children are crying from hunger. We won't forgive those who allowed us to reach this point.'
