Israeli authorities are considering a new plan to allow urgently needed international aid into Gaza, after having blocked deliveries for over two months. However, many humanitarian groups express concern that Israel's conditions could convert aid into a military pressure tactic, undermining their principles of neutrality.
The proposal arises amid Israeli leaders' threats to escalate their military operations in Gaza, despite over 18 months of conflict having neither defeated Hamas nor secured the release of hostages. The blockage of food and medical supplies has drawn calls from the international community, including allies, to lift the blockade.
Israeli officials maintain that the blockade is necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages, accusing the militant group of diverting aid for its own use, a claim Hamas refutes.
The Israeli military plans to displace most of Gaza's population to areas “clean of Hamas,” which would be controlled by Israeli forces to filter out members of the militant group. The proposed system would involve the military overseeing and securing the distribution of aid through various hubs within Gaza.
The United Nations and numerous aid organizations have criticized this proposal, indicating they may not participate. Some Israeli critics fear it could lead to a re-establishment of military rule over Gaza, an aim of hard-liners in the Israeli political landscape.
Details of the humanitarian proposals have not been publicly disclosed by Israel, as officials have chosen to brief aid groups verbally to avoid formal documentation. On Sunday, a joint statement from the United Nations and humanitarian organizations remarked that Israeli officials are attempting to dismantle the current aid delivery system, requiring that aid be supplied through Israeli-controlled hubs should the government agree to reopen border crossings.
According to two Israeli officials, private companies would be in charge of distributing aid within hubs that are secured by Israeli forces. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to disclose details publicly.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. Following a cease-fire agreement in mid-January, many Palestinians had hoped to alleviate the suffering caused by the prolonged conflict. Thousands of displaced individuals were forced to live in tents, struggling daily to secure food and clean water.
Initially, during the cease-fire, Israel allowed hundreds of trucks of aid into Gaza, including essential goods, but this ceased in early March amid stalled negotiations with Hamas. Since then, the blockade has been in place for over two months, with Israeli officials claiming that Gaza has sufficient provisions for the near future, although aid officials warn that the continued blockade threatens to cause famine.
Relief officials argue that Israel's new plan would deprive much of Gaza of necessary supplies and enable Israel to control the flow of aid, essentially using it as leverage. They assert that this approach violates fundamental humanitarian principles and appears aimed at reinforcing control over essential resources as a military strategy.
In their joint statement, the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations cautioned that agreeing to this plan might inadvertently support Israel's strategy of forced mass displacement of Palestinian residents.