Chaos and Killings: The Unravelling of the Israeli-Backed Aid Plan in Gaza
A recent surge in violence near aid distribution compounds in the Gaza Strip has resulted in dozens of Palestinian fatalities, sparking renewed criticism of the Israeli-backed aid system. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 64 people have been killed while seeking aid at the Swedish Village compound in just eight days.
The new aid system, implemented by Israel and the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has been plagued by chaos and controversy since its launch on May 27. The system, which aims to distribute food and medicine to the Gaza Strip, has been criticised by the UN and the charity sector for putting Palestinians at risk and forcing them to travel long distances to receive aid.
Under the new system, aid is distributed from four militarised compounds, three of which are located in the far south of the Gaza Strip. However, only one of the compounds has opened every day since its launch, and even that has been subject to irregularities. On Tuesday, the aid sites’ operator announced that none of the centres would be open on Wednesday due to "renovations, organisation and efficiency improvements," and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) declared the areas around them "combat zones."
Eyewitnesses have reported that the IDF has opened fire on Palestinians who have strayed from designated access routes or advanced towards the compounds too early. On Tuesday, 27 people were reportedly killed near the al Alam roundabout, around 1km from the aid compound. The IDF has stated that its forces only fired on "individual suspects who advanced towards troops" and that it is investigating reports of casualties.
The GHF has released footage showing aid distribution at the site without incident, but Sky News has been unable to verify the footage. The Israeli military has also published footage allegedly showing gunmen shooting at people collecting aid, but Sky News has confirmed that the footage was taken in a Khan Younis neighbourhood far from any GHF distribution compound.
A Flawed System?
Sky News has analysed video from the area, heard eyewitness testimony, and spoken to Gaza aid experts to understand what has been happening. According to Sam Rose, acting director of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in Gaza, the lack of order at the distribution sites means Palestinians have little incentive to obey the rules. "People are just grabbing whatever food parcels they can get their hands on," he says. "When UNRWA was in charge of distributing aid, we would do orderly distributions where a certain number of people are called and invited to receive their food every day at hundreds of distribution points."
The GHF’s communication has also been criticised for being poor and contradictory. The group’s website has no information on opening times or where to find this information, and its Facebook page has a limited following. Even those closely following the page rarely receive more than an hour’s notice of aid distribution.
A Fraction of the Necessary Meals
The new system has only provided a fraction of the necessary meals to feed the Gaza Strip’s population. According to the GHF, it has distributed 5.9 million meals during its first week in operation, or an average of 840,000 per day. However, the organisation has previously stated that three meals are enough to feed one person per day, meaning it has distributed enough meals to feed just 13% of Gaza’s population.
The UN estimates that half of Gaza’s 2.1 million people live in the north of the territory, yet the GHF has not set up any aid distribution sites in this region. The organisation has three sites in the far south of the Gaza Strip and one in the central region, which has only opened once.
Conclusion
The Israeli-backed aid plan in Gaza has been marred by violence, chaos, and controversy. The GHF’s system has been criticised for being flawed, and the organisation has been accused of failing to provide adequate aid to those in need. As the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, it remains to be seen how the aid plan will be adapted to address the needs of the Palestinian population.
According to Sky News, the data and forensics team has provided transparent journalism, gathering, analysing, and visualising data to tell data-driven stories. The publication has combined traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media, and other open-source information to provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation in Gaza.
The article was reported by Sky News.
