A joint statement by 109 international aid organizations released Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, warning of “starvation” — but failed to mention the remaining Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.
The statement attacks the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the U.S.- and Israeli-backed aid group that has delivered more than 85 million meals to Palestinians in Gaza since launching in May. Both Hamas and the United Nations oppose GHF’s continued operation, because GHF’s success means that Hamas no longer controls the flow of aid, and the United Nations no longer has a monopoly on the provision of aid in Gaza.
GHF provides aid directly to Palestinians at designated “safe” sites, and protects its trucks with private security contractors, traveling along approved routes that are protected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Critics say that GHF requires Palestinians to walk long distances to the aid sites, and that it is not “neutral,” though the statement by the 109 groups confirms that they have taken a side in the conflict — against Israel.
In the statement, the organizations claim that Israel is deliberately starving Gazans. It also claims that other aid groups are capable of delivering aid, but are prevented by Israel from doing so. (GHF told Breitbart News exclusively on Tuesday that United Nations aid trucks are allowed into Gaza, but they are sitting idle because they lack the security to reach their destinations without being looted by Hamas and other armed groups.)
The statement also repeats the false accusation that the Israeli government controls GHF, and refers to false reports that Israel is killing Palestinians at aid sites (there have been no attacks within GHF aid sites). It blames Israeli government policies — not Hamas — for the inability of other groups to distribute aid in Gaza:
Exactly two months since the Israeli government-controlled [sic] scheme, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, began operating, 109 organisations are sounding the alarm, urging governments to act: open all land crossings; restore the full flow of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items, and fuel through a principled, UN-led mechanism; end the siege, and agree to a ceasefire now.
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Massacres at food distribution sites in Gaza are occurring near-daily. As of July 13, the UN confirmed 875 Palestinians were killed while seeking food, 201 on aid routes and the rest at distribution points. Thousands more have been injured. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have forcibly displaced nearly two million exhausted Palestinians with the most recent mass displacement order issued on July 20, confining Palestinians to less than 12 per cent of Gaza. WFP warns that current conditions make operations untenable. The starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime.
Just outside Gaza, in warehouses – and even within Gaza itself – tons of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel sit untouched with humanitarian organisations blocked from accessing or delivering them. The Government of Israel’s restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death. An aid worker providing psychosocial support spoke of the devastating impact on children: “Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food.”
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Governments must stop waiting for permission to act. We cannot continue to hope that current arrangements will work. It is time to take decisive action: demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire; lift all bureaucratic and administrative restrictions; open all land crossings; ensure access to everyone in all of Gaza; reject military-controlled distribution models; restore a principled, UN-led humanitarian response and continue to fund principled and impartial humanitarian organisations. States must pursue concrete measures to end the siege, such as halting the transfer of weapons and ammunition.
The statement does not mention the Israeli hostages once. Fifty are still in Gaza, with twenty thought to be alive — and they are reportedly prevented by Hamas from receiving aid from international organizations.
On Tuesday, Rev. Johnnie Moore, the executive chairman of GHF, reiterated his call for international aid agencies to work with GHF rather than opposing it, sending a letter to the United Nations to that effect.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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