TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United States President Donald Trump has hinted that Israel will run a food distribution center in Gaza. Critics argue that this move further strengthens Israel's occupation and jeopardizes the safety of aid seekers.
As quoted from Al Jazeera, Trump supports Israel's statement that Hamas is stealing food aid distributed in Gaza. Aid groups and United Nations officials deny these allegations.
Israeli officials, speaking anonymously to The New York Times, have stated that there is no evidence the food was diverted to Hamas. However, Trump has stated otherwise. "A lot of things have been stolen. They send money. They send food. And Hamas steals it," Trump told reporters on Air Force One. "So it’s a tricky little game."
Trump believes Israel is capable of handling the distribution of U.S. aid. However, Israel deliberately created a famine in Gaza. Israeli forces also shoot Palestinians who are starving.
"We’re going to be dealing with Israel. And we think they can do a good job of it," Trump said. "They want to preside over the food centres to make sure the distribution is proper."
It is unclear where and when the aid center will be established. It is also unclear whether Israel will run the aid center directly or through the controversial GHF, a U.S.-supported aid foundation accused of unsafe practices.
Israel has tightened its blockade of Gaza since May. Israel only allows food into the area through the GHF, which has four locations in southern Gaza. However, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israel while trying to reach or leave the GHF centers. The siege in Gaza has led to a famine crisis in the area, with dozens of people dying from malnutrition.
Anthony Aguilar, a U.S. Army veteran working with GHF, said the group failed to deliver food to Gaza. "What I saw on numerous occasions are the Israeli [military] firing into the crowds of the Palestinians, firing over their head, firing at their feet … not just with rifles or machine guns, but tanks, tank rounds, artillery, mortars, missiles," Aguilar said in an interview uploaded on social media to Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen.
"Aid seekers were targeted not because they were combatants or because they were hostile or because they were Hamas but simply as a means to control the crowd," Aguilar said.
On Monday, Trump acknowledged there is a famine in Gaza, but he did not criticize Israel. Instead, on Tuesday, he emphasized that Israel should be the one to provide aid. "I think Israel wants to do it, and they’ll be good at doing it," Trump told reporters.
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