Earlier this week, Israel’s military confirmed that its forces intentionally bombed a school in Gaza. This action has brought the death toll in the region over the last days to at least 52. As Israel’s attacks have worsened, drawing unprecedented global outrage and condemnation, increasingly, Israelis themselves make the case that the heavy civilian toll is no longer an acceptable price to pay as part of the struggle against Hamas. Humanitarian needs are at an all-time high. In contrast, Israel is beginning to allow some humanitarian aid into Gaza, planning to reach and support at least one million Palestinians — almost half the territory’s population — by the end of this week.
For the first time amid the intense international outcry, Israel is doing much more to protect civilians. This turnaround follows mounting criticism from many of these Western allies. The military claims, among other things that it has used more accurate weapons and better surveillance capabilities to ensure that no collateral damage occurs. This approach has recently been criticized as Gaza’s densely packed population of two million hangs on the precipice of a deepening hunger crisis.
In response to concerns about aid potentially falling into Hamas’s hands, Israel has sought to establish an alternative aid delivery plan. Private security contractors will guard distribution points for humanitarian aid. This will keep the militant group from taking control of critical resources.
Last week, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) commenced operations within this challenging context, delivering truckloads of food to designated distribution sites. Unfortunately, GHF’s executive director, Jake Wood, stepped down just prior to these efforts starting. He cited the inability to implement the aid plan while adhering to “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence,” principles he deemed essential and would not abandon.
“It is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.” – Jake Wood
In the wake of Wood’s resignation, GHF brought on John Acree as interim director to help guide the organization through this stormy episode. Despite the leadership change, GHF has successfully delivered food supplies to its hubs, marking a critical step toward addressing the urgent needs of civilians in Gaza.
Israel’s relentless military onslaught has turned wide swaths of Gaza to rubble. Such devastation not only calls into question the prospects for humanitarian relief in a region beset by an unprecedented, ongoing, and targeted campaign of death from above. The many observers who express concern that failing to ensure access to food and medical supplies will be worse are exactly right; it can get way worse.
As distribution efforts speed up under GHF’s new leadership, things are still really complicated. Hamas has strongly denounced Israel’s actions and called on the international community to cease using humanitarian aid as a weapon in wartime.
“They replace order with chaos, enforce a policy of engineered starvation of Palestinian civilians, and use food as a weapon during wartime.” – Hamas
The situation on the ground is still changing dramatically, with military and humanitarian concerns increasingly intermingling. The international community watches closely as developments unfold in Gaza, hoping for a resolution that prioritizes the welfare of civilians caught in the crossfire.