ActionAid entirely rejects plans for Israeli authorities to control and condition aid in Gaza

ActionAid said: “We completely and utterly reject the Israeli authorities’ plan to control and condition the distribution of aid to people in Gaza. The idea that one of the parties to the conflict should make decisions about who receives aid, as well as when and where – and if – they receive it, is totally unacceptable and violates the key principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence which are at the heart of humanitarian action. Not only would it potentially exclude hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people in Gaza from receiving life-saving assistance at a time when starvation is already widespread and growing by the day, it would set a dangerous global precedent by undermining long-established humanitarian standards. 

“Aid must never be used as a weapon of war, yet for more than two months now the Israeli authorities have imposed a total siege on Gaza, entirely cutting it off from new deliveries of essentials like food and medicine, which are now running out. World leaders must uphold international humanitarian law and demand that aid is allowed into Gaza, immediately. States must robustly reject the plan to control and militarise the distribution of aid and refuse any form of engagement with it, whether financial, logistical, or diplomatic. 

“We are horrified by news that the Israeli military, which is already killing dozens of people in Gaza each day, plans to intensify its offensive in Gaza and seize more territory. We continue to demand the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, and a permanent end to the war, now.”