The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an aid organization backed by Israel and set to begin delivering aid to the enclave by the end of May, admitted that it would be unable to feed some of the most vulnerable Palestinian civilians, the Guardian reported on Saturday.
“In order to provide all Gazans, including those that are infirm, immobile, or unwilling to travel to a secure distribution site, with access to food aid, GHF will require aid distribution mechanisms that expand beyond the currently scoped model,” the organization said in a statement.
The United Nations and multiple aid groups have already refused to work with GHF, arguing that it cannot end hunger in the Gaza Strip and claiming it would make it harder for civilians in other wars by undermining their neutrality.
Much of the concern surrounds GHF’s supply procedure, which would see the heads of Palestinian households collect boxes weighing up to 20kg. The policy would restrict the sick, disabled, and weak from walking to aid distribution centers to access the heavy boxes.
“From what we have understood, the plan would increase the ongoing suffering of children and families in the Gaza Strip,” said United Nations Children’s Fund spokesperson Jonathan Crickx.
“How is a mother of four children, who has lost her husband, going to carry 20kg back to her makeshift tent, sometimes several kilometres away?” Crickx said. “The most vulnerable people, including the elderly, people with disabilities, the sick and wounded, and orphans, will face huge challenges to access aid.”
How would the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation threaten neutrality?
Officials have claimed that endorsing or working alongside GHF could impact their public perception of neutrality.
“These plans are basically instrumentalizing humanitarian aid, putting it into the hands of a party to the conflict, which goes against the principles of impartiality and independence. We don’t work with parties to any conflict,” said Bushra Khalidi, policy lead for the Palestinian territory at Oxfam.
“Giving Israel power over who receives the aid and where basically turns it into a tool of coercion, and it blurs the line between the humanitarian assistance and Israel’s military objectives, which in turn puts civilians and aid workers at serious risk.”