The Israeli-American backed aid distribution process in Gaza has turned into “complete chaos”, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, warned, calling for the UN to be allowed to carry out its mandate in the besieged enclave.
In an op-ed published in the New York Times yesterday, Russell said: “As the chaotic scenes made clear, rather than increasing access to lifesaving supplies, the new aid distribution plan, facilitated by an organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, threatens to make things worse.
She added that aid is being distributed through a few points in Gaza, “forcing civilians to travel long distances and putting their lives in danger.”
“The new aid distribution mechanism contradicts humanitarian principles and fails to meet Israel’s obligations under international law,” she added, pointing to “concerns that aid distribution sites could become potential military targets due to the presence of American and Israeli security personnel.”
READ: UN refuses to join Israel’s Gaza aid mechanism that ‘breaches humanitarian principles’
She also noted that the “militarisation” of humanitarian aid would expose Gaza’s children to further suffering and death.
Russell said the aid currently being distributed in Gaza is estimated at only ten per cent of what entered the Strip during the last truce and stressed that the current aid distribution plan cannot support a population of 2.1 million people, including more than one million children.
She reported that approximately 17,000 children have been killed and more than 34,000 others injured during the nearly 20-month war on Gaza.
Social media users circulated a photo showing crowds of starving Gazans confined within paths separated by iron barriers at a food distribution center, sparking widespread condemnation.
Earlier today, 20 Palestinians were hit by Israeli fire while trying to reach an aid distribution point set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Al Jazeera reported.
READ: Israel issues evacuation orders to Palestinians in 5 areas of Gaza