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Israel to use private military contractors to control Gaza aid: Reports
Israel plans to use US security contractors to control the flow of aid into Gaza, bypassing UN and international NGOs, news reports say.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported last week a new plan is in the works in which Gaza aid will soon be distributed by private foreign companies, rather than United Nations agencies, in a new designated “humanitarian zone” in the southern Gaza.
The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), a forum that includes UN agencies, said on Sunday that Israeli officials are seeking its consent to deliver aid through what it described as “Israeli hubs under conditions set by the Israeli military, once the government agrees to re-open crossings”.
In a statement, HCT said such a plan would be dangerous and would “contravene fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic – as part of a military strategy”.
Israel ‘drunk on impunity’ as international community looks on
As Israel’s military continues its blockade of Gaza, many observers are asking why the international community is failing to intervene to halt its starvation policy.
“And it’s not just that they’re blocking entry of aid at the border. There was also this reported attack on an aid ship – a humanitarian flotilla – just the other day,” said Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
“Israel just seems it is drunk on impunity. They’ve gotten away with so many atrocities over the past 19 months, they figure they can do pretty much what they want.”
The international rules-based order doesn’t appear to apply to the Palestinians, he told Al Jazeera, adding the “international community is failing an entire population”.
