A US-backed initiative to support humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza is already facing reported hurdles as it tries to begin work. According to various reports, it is supposed to start operating this weekend.
In early May, the security cabinet approved a new massive offensive in Gaza. As part of that, Gazans were going to be pushed to southern Gaza, where they would receive aid in such a way that it would not fall into Hamas’s hands.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee spoke about how America would back a new aid mechanism.
Around two weeks have passed since that aid concept was introduced to the public. Private security contractors have arrived in Israel, with reports that they will be paid well for the complex work of securing the sites in Gaza.
Aerial photos published by open-source accounts online show that some berms, which could be linked to the new aid sites in Gaza, have been created. These areas were carved out of the desert, basically between Rafah’s northern suburbs and the al-Mawasi humanitarian area that was set up last year.
Not enough is known about the plans for the aid distribution. Reports tell of several areas being set up that could provide food for up to 60% of Gaza. This would mean that each site would provide aid for some 300,000 people.
Representatives of the families of those people would arrive to get the aid. Ergo, each place might have to deal with 30,000 people collecting food products every week or every few days.
A Swiss website said on May 21 that an organization created to distribute humanitarian aid to Gaza, called the Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), was Geneva-based.
However, Ynet reported on Sunday that “before distributing any food in Gaza and amid growing media scrutiny and a possible investigation in Switzerland, the GHF is shutting down. Humanitarian aid will now be handled solely by a US-based entity.”
On Monday, reports said that Jake Wood, the head of the GHF, had resigned.
The overall perception is that the rollout of this new initiative has been done hastily and that it faces a lot of hurdles on all sides.
It will need support from other groups and a logistical footprint to be able to move the aid into Gaza. The initiative will then need to run the sites that have been carved out of the desert.
This stage will also be challenging. It is a complex matter to register all the people involved who get aid to make sure those who receive it are who they say they are.
Further, securing the area will not be easy. Even though the private security hires involved may have a lot of military experience under their belts, this may not prepare them for Gaza. Gaza is different than Iraq or Afghanistan. There are unique challenges.
In addition, the IDF has not had to operate a kind of cordon around an aid facility throughout the war. Instead, it orders civilians to leave areas before it operates near them.
In general, civilians have been distanced from Israeli forces. They are usually seen as a potential threat if they are in an area.
HOW WILL the IDF facilitate tens of thousands of Gazans moving back and forth? If the IDF does not plan on searching these individuals, then they will be kept behind military lines, wandering on a dirt road in the hot sun toward a facility where contractors will need to search them.
Will the contractors be armed, and what rules of engagement will they have? If there is violence with the people receiving aid, who will deal with it? Will the IDF then be called in to help?
This concept seems very complex and beyond anything that the IDF has ever done in the past. Running a program to provide food for a million people is not easy, even in peacetime. Conducting such a program while five IDF divisions are maneuvering in Gaza seems incredibly complex.
The fact that the group established to do this is already running into hurdles illustrates the difficulties. It is also unclear whether the US administration really wants to get involved in the sunk cost of dealing with Gaza long-term.
Talks of relocating Gazans seem premature
Despite talk of the “Trump plan” and turning Gaza into some kind of Riviera, it does not seem like anyone seriously recognizes the challenges involved.
Even talk in Israel about relocating Gazans was premature. The rhetoric used created an image of Palestinians being dumped in Libya or Somalia. No concrete plan was discussed regarding how these people would get there or why they would want to go from war-torn Gaza to war-torn Somalia.
The whole discussion seemed to dehumanize the people who were the target of the resettlement. Not every plan survives contact with the enemy.
In this case, the plans for Gaza are not facing an enemy, but the reality of the complexity involved. None of those involved seems to have run an aid program for a million or two million people during wartime. All of those involved may be professionals, but the task in Gaza is herculean.