Palestinian Official: Israel's Strategy to 'Militarise' Humanitarian Aid and Displace Palestinians through Gaza Blockade

Synopsis

A Palestinian official expresses grave concerns over Israel's strategy to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, claiming it aims to militarise aid and displace the local population. The policy is seen as a violation of international standards, potentially worsening the humanitarian crisis in the region.

Key Takeaways

Israel's policy may militarise humanitarian aid.
Significant portions of Gaza's population could face deprivation of essential supplies.
This approach is viewed as a violation of international humanitarian standards.
The international community is urged to intervene.
Renewed assaults have led to significant casualties in Gaza.

Gaza, April 17 (NationPress) Israel's newly announced strategy of obstructing humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip seeks to militarise humanitarian aid and displace Palestinians, according to a Palestinian representative.

"We are deeply alarmed by Israel's efforts to militarise humanitarian aid and place it under military control," stated Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network in Gaza, during an interview with Xinhua news agency on Wednesday.

"This approach will exacerbate the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and deny significant portions of the population access to essential supplies," al-Shawa added.

He characterized the policy as "a breach of international humanitarian norms," holding Israel "fully accountable for the ongoing humanitarian crisis" in Gaza, as reported by Xinhua.

Al-Shawa called on the global community to reject this policy and to apply pressure on Israel to facilitate unrestricted access for essential supplies into Gaza.

Following a site visit to Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top military officials, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz elaborated on Israel's overarching military strategy in a statement made earlier on Wednesday, aimed at securing the release of hostages and ultimately overcoming Hamas.

"Israel's stance is unequivocal—no humanitarian assistance is set to enter Gaza," remarked Katz.

"At present, there are no plans to deliver any humanitarian aid to Gaza under the existing conditions."

Katz explained that aid has been stalled to "weaken Hamas' grip on the populace and lay the groundwork for future aid distribution through private entities" without Hamas' involvement.

The Israeli military will not retreat from territories it has captured and will uphold a presence in specified "security zones" throughout Gaza, Katz warned, indicating that if Hamas continues to defy Israel's terms for a hostage agreement, "the operation will escalate and advance to subsequent phases."

Since March 2, Israel has prohibited the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza.

It subsequently terminated a two-month ceasefire with Hamas on March 18 and resumed lethal air and ground offensives against the enclave.

As a result of the renewed Israeli strikes, a reported 1,652 Palestinians have been killed, with 4,391 others injured, according to Gaza health authorities on Wednesday. The death toll in the enclave since the onset of the conflict in October 2023 has risen to 51,025, with 116,432 injured.