UN official blasts Israeli 'weaponization' of aid to Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Dec 2024 06:56

Israeli occupation forces are imposing vast restrictions on aid entering the Gaza Strip, including on food, water, and blankets.

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Humanitarian aid waiting to be picked up in Karem Abu Salem crossing in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, December 19, 2024. (AP)

A senior United Nations (UN) official lambasted "Israel" for blocking off aid from the Gaza Strip, saying that Israeli policies have forced humanitarians to make "horrible decisions."

In a virtual news conference, Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sub-office in Gaza, said, "Israeli authorities and military seem unwilling to open multiple access points at once," for humanitarian efforts into the Gaza Strip, which has impeded aid deliveries.

Petropoulos pointed to multiple issues that have slowed down aid deliveries, including strict Israeli restrictions on items, looting of aid in Israeli-controlled areas, and limited access via Israeli checkpoints.

"Most of the areas in which these lootings happen are under the control of the Israeli forces," he told reporters.

"Every day, as an aid worker in Gaza, you're forced to make horrible decisions. Should I let people die of starvation or the cold? Do we bring in more food to ease hunger or more plastic sheets for shelter?" Petropoulos said.

As for difficulties in reaching parts of the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, the UN official pointed to massively fortified Israeli checkpoints. He said that humanitarians have no "predictable access to these Israeli checkpoints," adding that "they don't open enough and there are massive amounts of time spent simply waiting for them to decide to open."

"As humanitarians, we stand firm against being told where and how we should work in Gaza," the UN official said, in regards to the besiegements of the northernmost parts of the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of civilians remain.

He also explained that selective restrictions and denials of humanitarian aid to certain areas in the besieged territory indicate the "weaponization" of aid by Israeli authorities. He revealed that restrictions are being placed on the delivery of water and food to areas in the North governorate, while these same items are allowed in other areas. Petropoulos said that these denials by Israeli authorities show that aid is being used to "move" people, stressing that civilians have a right to choose where to be.