The Reason Behind Israel's Blockade of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) urges the immediate cessation of the food blockade in the Gaza Strip by Israel, which has been ongoing for nine weeks. Israel's inhumane actions pose a threat to the safety of 2.1 million Palestinians in the region.

The Head of the OCHA, Tom Fletcher, stated that Israel deliberately and shamelessly treats Palestinians in an inhumane manner by leaving them at risk of starvation.

“I ask you to reflect — for a moment — on what action we will tell future generations we each took to stop the 21st century atrocity to which we bear daily witness in Gaza,” Fletcher said on Tuesday, as quoted by Dunya News.

Reasons for Israel's Blockade of Gaza

Since March 2, Israel has closed the Gaza crossings, halting the entry of food, medicines, and humanitarian aid. Before the blockade was implemented, the UN and other international aid agencies were responsible for delivering aid to the region.

Despite agreeing to a ceasefire on January 19 and a prisoner exchange agreement with the Palestinian Hamas militant group, Israel renewed its attacks on the Gaza region on March 18.

Israel's primary cited reason is concern that Hamas will exploit humanitarian aid, a Palestinian militant group considered a terrorist organization by Israel and several other countries.

“Israel will not accept a humanitarian mechanism that props up the Hamas terror organization that butchered our people in their homes and communities,” stated the Israeli mission to the UN.

In response to Israel's accusations, humanitarian officials stated that the aid was distributed by the UN and international agencies, not by Hamas.

The Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) for Gaza, Antoine Renard, emphasized that all the necessary food for the people of Gaza is available in warehouses not far from the border, such as in Israel, Egypt, and Jordan.

However, access to Gaza is completely blocked, preventing aid delivery. Currently, WFP warehouses in Gaza are empty, and the amount of aid that can be distributed is only sufficient for 250,000 meals per day, far below the actual needs.

Renard warned that if this situation is allowed to continue, soon the people of Gaza will not receive any meals at all.

“Soon, we’re going to speak about the fact that people don’t even have access to a meal. Is that where we need to go to actually raise the alarm? It’s now that we need to act,” he said.

Israel Seeks to Change the Distribution of Aid to Gaza

On the other hand, Israel, along with the United States, has proposed a new aid distribution system through an organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. However, the UN and humanitarian organizations rejected the plan as an attempt by Israel to control aid distribution politically.

Fletcher even referred to it as a "cynical show" that may ignore the most vulnerable groups, such as children, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

When asked on Tuesday when aid would be allowed entry into Gaza, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State reiterated Israel's statement that Hamas is responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a claim continuously refuted by humanitarian aid officials.

“I will reiterate that we are supportive of creative solutions to get aid in there but also in a way that the aid is not falling into the hands of Hamas, that it actually reaches the people that need it,” said Tommy Pigott, Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State.

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