Jerusalem – During a visit to Egypt last weekend, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stopped at a border crossing between the most populous Arab nation and the war-hit Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Guterres said he saw “long lines of relief trucks blocked to enter Gaza” at the Rafah crossing.
Shortly after, Israelis accused top UN officials of “deception” and instead withheld life-saving aid to people in the country said to be on the brink of starvation. He pointed out that it was the United Nations. Palestinian enclave.
Anne Baevsky, director of the Touro Institute for Human Rights and Holocaust Research and president of Human Rights Voices, said: “Since October 7, United Nations officials and agencies have been in awe of Hamas’s atrocities and Israel’s attempts to exercise its right to legitimate self-defense.” “They keep telling us one lie after another about their efforts.” he told FOX News Digital.
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A cargo truck carrying humanitarian aid is inspected before entering the Gaza Strip in Kerem Shalom, Israel, March 14, 2024. (Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)
Over the past few weeks, United Nations aid agencies and Israeli authorities have been locked in a bitter dispute over who is responsible for blocking food, water and medicine deliveries, as images of malnourished children in Gaza have appeared on news and social media channels. I’ve been caught up in More than 2 million civilians in different areas of the Strip cannot be affected.
Israeli officials say there is no limit to the amount of aid entering Gaza. The United Nations and its aid agencies remain in the opposite position. They claim that long inspection procedures and limited opening hours are causing road closures, especially at the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing, and urge Israel to open more entry points, especially in the north. I’m looking for it.
Farhan Aziz Haq, Mr. Guterres’s spokesman, told Fox News Digital on Monday that “the slow pace of truck clearances in Rafah is a major threat to the prevention of UNRWA operations, as well as the prevention of operations in the north. We’re creating one,” he said. He was referring to the controversial United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides services to Palestinian refugees and their families in the region but has been accused of collaborating with the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas.
“Some trucks will pass, but not enough. We will need to transport around 300 trucks a day to avoid starvation,” he said.
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However, Shimon Friedman, international media spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli military unit that coordinates between Israel and the Palestinian territories, told Fox News Digital that “Israel has not placed any limits on the amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip.” ” he repeated.
He said that in recent months, Israel had opened additional borders to Gaza, including special routes to reach people trapped in the north. He added staff and expanded testing hours.
A humanitarian aid truck carrying aid from the World Food Program enters the northern Gaza Strip from Israel. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
“We have made great efforts to increase our testing capacity so that we can get more aid to those in need,” he said, stressing that “we are currently able to test 44 trucks per hour.”
“The problem lies in the distribution capacity of international organizations,” Friedman added.
Following the Secretary-General’s post to X regarding trucks waiting in Rafah, COGAT posts photos of aid Waiting for collection on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel.
U.S. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference in front of the border crossing in Rafah, Egypt, March 23, 2024. (Ali Mustafa/Getty Images)
Ahed al-Hindi, a senior researcher at the Center for Peace Communication, which monitors the humanitarian situation in Gaza, said many Gaza activists he spoke to recently expressed “concerns about how humanitarian aid from abroad is being manipulated by Hamas.” It was expressed,” he said. . ”
“They told me that Hamas selectively distributes aid to its supporters as a political tool, especially in areas experiencing food shortages,” he said. “This tactic allows Hamas to recruit supporters among conflict-affected families, a pattern that also plays out in other war-torn areas such as Syria and Libya, where Islamic Extremist groups are exploiting international aid for political gain and recruitment purposes.”
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UNRWA tented camp in Khan Yunis, Gaza, November 27, 2023. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Unlike many Western countries, Israelis are familiar with these tactics because they have been dealing with armed groups for decades,” al-Hindi said. “They understand how UN aid, both in times of war and peace, can be misused for recruitment purposes.
“Both theories are correct,” Shor Bartal, a senior researcher at the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv, told Fox News Digital.
“There is enough aid, but it is difficult to distribute it correctly because Hamas controls a large part of the region,” he said, adding, “We are not aware of what is happening on the ground and the influence of some people.” “As a result, UNRWA is not functioning properly,” he added. The workers are members of Hamas, so they are helping them. ”
Baltar, who is also closely following events in Gaza, said local gangs are looting aid supplies for sale on the black market throughout the Gaza Strip and that aid workers, including truck drivers, are raiding certain lawless areas. He also mentioned that he was afraid to enter. He said some drivers died while distributing aid. Last month, more than 100 Gazans were killed when desperate civilians attacked a aid convoy.
A State Department spokesperson said there was more Israel could do regarding UNRWA and other UN agencies working to assist Gaza. (Getty Images)
Mr Baltal said that for aid to be distributed correctly, local powers needed to be directly involved.
“There are only two local forces that can effectively distribute aid: Hamas or Israel,” he said. “If Israel wanted to provide humanitarian aid to its people, it could do so through its military.”
At a press conference earlier this week, IDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said the military’s commitment to distributing humanitarian supplies has increased in recent weeks, even as the country’s forces continue to fight Hamas terrorists in its territory. He said involvement is increasing.
“We recognize the suffering of the people of Gaza,” Hagari told reporters. He explained how he has stepped up humanitarian efforts. The World Food Program, another United Nations relief agency.
“There are problems with distribution in Gaza, as Hamas operatives steal food for their own needs and looting occurs in areas not under Hamas control,” he said.
“The problem of distribution is the responsibility of international organizations, and the IDF is part of the solution,” Hagari said. “We understand that there are no easy solutions, which is why we are focused on pouring humanitarian aid into the region…all international organizations that have solutions to the logistics problem. We encourage the cooperation of COGAT and IDF.”
Hamas terrorists in Bani Suheila district, Gaza City, July 20, 2017. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Hagari said more than 1,522 trucks had entered Gaza in the past 10 days carrying food, water and medical equipment, as well as construction materials for homes and shelters. An additional 500 trucks arrived on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to COGAT’s website. Additionally, he said the IDF has opened several new roads, including in the northern part of the territory, and is currently working on new and creative ways to reach people in need.
Baevsky, whose Touro Institute for Human Rights and Holocaust Research is a UN-recognized non-governmental organization, said: “These are wild claims about the number of civilian deaths that are completely unverifiable. It was concluded that Theft by Hamas, starvation of Jewish hostages, the list goes on, but UN sources, from the Secretary-General down, take their numbers, “facts” and talking points away from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Not reliable at all. Ramallah. ”
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State Department spokesman Matt Miller said at a press conference Monday that no assessment has been made of whether Israel is violating international humanitarian law in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“That being said, we believe there is much more they can do.” [Israel] It is possible to receive humanitarian aid through both Kerem Shalom and Rafah, as well as the new gate 96, which opened two weeks ago, allowing convoys to move directly to the north without taking the somewhat dangerous route inside Gaza. can. ” He added that Israel could do more regarding UNRWA and other UN agencies working to assist Gaza.
