Israel rejected the claim made by more than 100 international aid organizations that it is blocking the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) said in a social media post on Thursday.
“We reject false claims made by over 100 international organizations alleging Israel blocks humanitarian aid to Gaza,” COGAT stated.
They added that “The reality is entirely the opposite of the claims that were published,” saying that Israel facilitates aid entry while Hamas exploits the situation to control the civilian population.
COGAT’s statement also explained how Hamas terrorist activities in Gaza are carried out “under the cover of certain international aid organizations, whether knowingly or unknowingly.”
The statement also outlined how the latest aid mechanism works – implemented in accordance with political echelon directives – and how several international NGOs are refusing to use these new directives made by Israel.
“Organizations are required to undergo a formal registration process with Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry, which includes, among other things, submitting a list of the organization’s employees operating in Gaza for prior security screening,” it said.
“The refusal of some international organizations to provide the information and cooperate with the registration process raises serious concerns about their true intentions and the possibility of ties between the organization or its employees and Hamas,” COGAT concluded.
The COGAT post also said that 20 organizations have thus far complied with these new requirements, allowing for approximately 300 humanitarian aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip daily.
“The alleged delay in aid entry, as claimed by the organizations that signed the statement, occurs only when organizations choose not to meet the basic security requirements intended to prevent Hamas’s involvement,” they informed.
“Instead of opposing the process and issuing public statements, we call on all international organizations wishing to bring aid into the Gaza Strip – especially those that signed the statement – to act with transparency, complete the registration, and ensure that the aid reaches the civilians, and not Hamas,” the statement concluded.
What did the aid organizations claim?
A group of over 100 humanitarian aid organizations, including Oxfam, Anera, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, called for Israel to end its “weaponization of aid.”
“Together with more than 100 organizations, we are calling for an end to Israel’s weaponization of aid. Despite claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, most major international NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since March 2.”
The statement claimed that dozens of NGOs have been rejected from bringing aid into Gaza, with over 60 requests being denied only in July.
“Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away,” said Sean Carroll, President and CEO of Anera, which was also included as a signatory.
The letter also claims that “NGOs that have worked in Gaza for decades, are trusted by communities, and experienced in delivering aid safely” are not authorized to work under the new standards.”
It claims that “The obstruction is tied to new registration rules introduced in March. Under these new rules, registration can be denied on the basis of vague and politicized criteria, such as alleged ‘delegitimization’ of the State of Israel,” they claimed.
Oxfam, another signatory, claimed in the joint statement that “new INGO rules could now bar trusted NGOs, silence advocacy, and censor reporting – defying international law.”
Oxfam added: “The registration system is now being used to further block aid and deny food and medicine in the midst of the worst-case scenario of famine.”
“The answer, to save lives, save humanity, and save yourselves from complicity in engineered mass starvation, is to open all the borders, at all hours, to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals, and medical supplies, ready and waiting nearby,” said Sean Carroll of Anera.