Head Of UN Aid Condemns Planned Distribution Of Aid In Gaza Proposed By Israel

JAKARTA - UN aid chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday criticized plans to distribute humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip initiated by Israel and supported by the United States, as "a pretext for violence and further transfer" of Palestinians in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

"It was a cynical sideshow. It was a deliberate distraction," Fletcher told the UN Security Council.

No humanitarian aid has been sent to Gaza since March 2, and global hunger monitors have warned that half a million people are facing starvation, a quarter of the enclave's population.

Israel last week suggested that private companies take over the distribution of aid in the southern region of Gaza, after widespread Israeli attacks began there, starting in October 2023, following attacks by Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas attacked southern Israel. Relief deliveries have been handled by international aid groups and UN organizations.

"We were able to save hundreds of thousands of victims. We have a strict mechanism to ensure our assistance reaches civilians and not to Hamas, but Israel rejects our access, prioritizing the goal of reducing the number of Gazans rather than civilian lives," Fletcher said.

Israel accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the militant group denies, and blocking shipments until Hamas releases all remaining hostages.

The United Nations says any distribution of aid must be independent, impartial, and neutral, in accordance with humanitarian principles.

Fletcher said the United Nations had met more than a dozen times with Israeli authorities about models of distribution of aid they proposed to find a solution but were unsuccessful. The minimum requirement includes the ability to distribute aid to all in need wherever they are in Gaza, he said.

Amid the deadlock, the United States last week supported a mechanism for the distribution of Gaza aid to be handled by private companies, an approach that appeared to resemble Israel's proposal, but provided little preliminary details about the plan.

"We will not allow the old broken system to remain in effect," Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told the council.

"We appreciate efforts to build a new mechanism, which is based on accountability," he added.

Fletcher said the Israeli-designed distribution model was not the answer. This is partly because Israel said it would limit aid distribution to southern Gaza during the planned attack and people would have to move to access aid there.

"It forced further evacuation. It put thousands of people in danger," Fletcher told the council.

"This limits aid to only one part of Gaza while other urgent needs are not met. This makes aid dependent on political and military goals. This makes hunger a bargaining chip," he said.

Separately, the majority of the 15 members of the Security Council expressed concern about the proposed aid distribution plan.

"We cannot support any model that places political or military goals above the needs of civilians. Or that weakens the ability of the United Nations and other partners to operate independently," the UK, France, Slovenia, Greece and Denmark said in a joint statement before a board meeting.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Wednesday, Israel supported what he called "American humanitarian plans" in which aid would be provided by private funds.

"This will be given directly to the community. Hamas should not be allowed to get it," said Foreign Minister Sa'ar.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had rejected Israel's proposal, saying in April Israel was at risk of "overcontrolling and limiting aid to the last calories and flour."