The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has sharply criticized proposed plans by Israel and the United States to take over humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, warning that such initiatives will worsen the suffering of children and families already facing extreme hardship.
The criticism comes after the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that a new solution to deliver food aid to Gaza was “steps away,” with a formal announcement expected soon.
The emerging proposal would establish a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which would distribute aid from four “Secure Distribution Sites,” echoing a plan presented by Israel earlier this week.
“It appears the design of a plan presented by Israel to the humanitarian community will increase ongoing suffering of children and families in the Gaza Strip,” said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.
Elder added that his warning extended to the proposed foundation as well, describing it as part of the same overarching plan.
Humanitarian organizations have already pushed back against any arrangement that would involve Israel—the occupying power—in the direct distribution of aid in Gaza, citing concerns over neutrality and safety.
Despite this, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee insisted on Thursday that Israel’s role would be limited to providing security, not distributing aid itself.
Still, Elder emphasized that centralizing aid in a limited number of hubs would put children and families at significant risk as they travel to obtain basic supplies, further compounding Gaza’s already severe displacement crisis.
“The use of humanitarian aid as a bait to force displacement, especially from the north to the south will create this impossible choice: a choice between displacement and death,” Elder said, referencing his multiple field missions to Gaza since October 2023.
He added that the plan appears “designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic.”
Elder urged Israel to end its more than two-month-long blockade on aid deliveries into Gaza, which has fueled widespread hunger and increased fears of a surge in malnutrition-related deaths.
“There is a simple alternative, lift the blockade, let humanitarian aid in to save lives,” he concluded.
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