UN rejects private Israeli Aid Plan.
Washington, May 16 (EFE).-
The United Nations on Friday rejected the private plan supported by Washington and Israel to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza and demanded that the Israeli government allow it to operate there immediately.
“To those proposing an alternative mechanism for aid distribution, let’s not waste time: we already have a plan,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in a statement.
“It has the support of a coalition of donors and the vast majority of the international community. It is ready to be activated – today – if we are simply allowed to do our job,” Fletcher said, adding it as a “neutral and independent” plan.
The official said the UN has the personnel, distribution networks, “the trust of the communities,” 160,000 pallets of humanitarian aid ready for distribution, and the support of “the vast majority of the international community.”
“We’ve done it before. We can do it again,” said Fletcher, who added that the UN knows how to reach communities “in dire need” to “avoid famine” with dignity and without delay.
“Enough. We demand rapid, safe, and unhindered delivery of aid to civilians who need it,” he said.
The UN statement comes after a private US group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announced it will begin operating in Gaza at the end of the month to distribute humanitarian aid in a controversial Israeli-backed plan.
This organization is made up of former US military personnel, private security companies, and private humanitarian aid operators. The initiative would see Israel assume control of aid distribution in the Gaza Strip.
Since the start of its offensive in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has only intermittently allowed humanitarian aid – food, gasoline, and medicine – into the enclave, home to nearly 2 million Palestinians. The entry of humanitarian aid has again been blocked by Israel since Mar. 2, with hundreds of thousands of people at risk of famine. EFE at/lds
