
Israel鈥檚 decision to ignore international tenets of humanitarian aid via the shoddy US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation company,聽聽(SRS), has been shown up to be nasty, inadequate and selective.
SRS lacks a r茅sum茅 in humanitarian aid. Its prowess, rather, lies in the realm of military intelligence. A聽听蹿谤辞尘听Ynet News聽describes its functions as 鈥渙perating roadblocks, processing visual data from cameras, drones and satellites and using it to identify Hamas operatives and armed individuals鈥.
In practice and spirit, this seedy, cynical enterprise violates the聽聽of humanitarian action: humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.
The four sites of distribution, located in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah and the Netzarim Corridor south of Gaza city, have been picked for reasons of control, surveillance and forced displacement. The official reason is that doing so ensures that no aid ends up with Hamas.
鈥淭he establishment of the distribution centres,鈥 according to the Israeli Defense Force鈥檚 (IDF)聽聽on the distribution points, 鈥渢ook place over the last few months, facilitated by the Israeli political echelon and in coordination with the US government鈥. The system is intended to exclude the role of experienced aid agencies, notably the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
A vicious example of this new aid delivery model was shown on May 27, with thousands of starving Palestinians descending on a distribution point in Rafah. Herded and harassed, strife broke out and the compound was stormed. Those working for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) retreated after聽聽to have distributed 8000 food boxes.
Israeli troops聽. According to the Gaza Media Office, the IDF 鈥渙pened direct fire on hungry Palestinian civilians who had gathered to receive aid鈥, killing 10 and wounding 62.聽 Locations for distribution were subsequently 鈥渢ransformed into death traps under the occupation鈥檚 gunfire鈥.聽
While there is dispute about the figures, the International Committee of the Red Cross聽聽that staff at its Red Cross Field Hospital did receive 鈥渁 mass casualty influx of 48 patients, including women and children. All were suffering from gunshot wounds.鈥
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu聽聽this as a 鈥渓oss of control momentarily鈥 at the distribution point. An IDF official said the overall operation was a success. In keeping with standard practice, the IDF had聽聽ever firing at the desperate throng, merely letting off warning shots outside the compound.
UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini聽聽at 鈥渢he shocking images of hungry people pushing against fences, desperate for food. It was chaotic, undignified and unsafe.鈥 Crucially, he said, this was 鈥渁 waste of resources and a distraction from atrocities鈥.
It is particularly galling given that UNRWA had, at one point, as many as 400 distribution centres in Gaza. Israel has made the removal and elimination of the agency鈥檚 influence a vital part of its policy, which ties in with its agenda of crushing Palestinians鈥 aspirations for statehood.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, was also聽聽to accept Israel鈥檚 novel slant on providing aid. 鈥淲e continue to witness a brutal humanitarian camouflage, where the red lines have led to massive atrocities.鈥
She said it was part of 鈥渁 deliberate strategy 鈥 aimed at masking atrocities, displacing the displaced, bombing the bombarded, burning Palestinians alive and maiming survivors鈥.
The 鈥渓anguage of aid鈥 had been used to 鈥渄ivert international attention from legal accountability, in Israel鈥檚 attempt to dismantle the very principles upon which humanitarian law was built鈥.
Albanese reiterated that nothing short of a full arms embargo and the suspension of all trade with Israel would do. 鈥淭he time for sanctions is now, as Israeli politicians continue to call for the extermination of babies while over 80 percent of the Israeli society, according to Israeli media, ask for the forcible removal of Palestinians from Gaza.鈥
Given GHF鈥檚 select deployment of humanitarian services, its head has resigned. Jake Wood, the now former executive director,聽聽that the foundation had failed to adhere 鈥渢o the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon鈥.
GHF鈥檚 middle management, despite being disappointed at the resignation, expressed readiness with the聽聽that 鈥淥ur trucks are loaded and ready to go鈥. It claims to be planning 鈥渢o scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead.鈥 It is humanitarian camouflage.
[Binoy Kampmark lectures at RMIT University.]