Something is terribly amiss with the food distribution system Israel and the United States created in the Gaza Strip a few months ago to alleviate hunger and starvation among its 2.2 million inhabitants.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), conceived by Israel and managed and financed by the United States, was established to avert endemic food shortages and replace a United Nations system that was less than efficient and susceptible to theft by Hamas operatives and criminal looters.
In theory, the GHF was an important component of Israel’s tactic to deprive Hamas of the strategic capacity to distribute food. In practice, however, it has not lived up to expectations. To reach new distribution sites, Gazans are required to walk for kilometres and cross Israeli military lines, a cumbersome and hazardous process that has sown confusion and chaos, particularly when supplies have run out.
Amid the unrest, Israeli soldiers guarding the sites have either fired warning shots or fired on crowds ominously approaching them, resulting in casualties. This catastrophic situation is compounded by criminal gangs intent on stealing food and reselling it at inflated prices and Hamas-aligned provocateurs bent on besmirching Israel’s image and keeping Hamas in power.
According to a United Nations report released yesterday, 1,054 Palestinians queuing for food have been killed by Israeli forces since May. Of these, 766 were fatally shot near GHF sites, while 288 lost their lives close to UN and other humanitarian aid convoys.
Israel has admitted to firing shots toward Palestinians, but has claimed that casualty figures are exaggerated. This may well be true, but such incidents have significantly damaged Israel’s international reputation, much to Hamas’ glee.
Given what is happening, a joint statement issued by 24 Western countries on July 21 decrying the suffering of civilians in Gaza should have come as no surprise.
The foreign ministers of these nations, ranging from Britain and France to Canada and Poland, condemned Israel’s food delivery model, as exemplified by the GHF. They claimed it is “dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.”
Calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, they urged Israel to “lift restrictions on the flow of aid” so that the UN and non-government humanitarian organizations can do their “life-saving work safely and effectively.”
The Israeli government, having rejected the statement as “disconnected from reality” and having claimed it sends the “wrong message to Hamas,” accused Hamas of spreading lies and undermining aid distribution.
While Israel’s response contains an element of the truth, the fact remains that the GHF has proven to be a failure. It is now incumbent on Israel to build a better food distribution apparatus in Gaza.
In the meantime, the Israel-Hamas war drags on.
Two days ago, Israel launched a fresh military campaign in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, an area that has remained largely untouched during the war. On the second day of the offensive, an Israeli soldier, Vladimir Loza, was killed, raising Israel’s death toll to 456 since the official start of the war on October 27, 2023.
General Eyal Zamir, the Israeli chief of staff, said yesterday that Israel’s ongoing offensive is “one of the most complex” it has ever waged. Zamir’s assessment is correct, given the inordinate length of the war and Hamas’ resiliency.
Realistically, the war should not end until Hamas is decisively defeated and all the remaining hostages are released.
While the statement released by Western nations was written in good faith, an immediate ceasefire at this point would mostly benefit Hamas, which is fighting for its very survival.
But if Hamas seeks a sane exit strategy, there is still a way out. Hamas, a cancerous growth that must be excised, must officially surrender, disarm and leave Gaza once and for all.
On this existential issue, there is no room for compromise.