The Struggle for Humanity: Israeli Forces and the Assault on Aid Efforts

A report by Raneem Bou Khzam, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

 

Before tragedy struck, members of the World Central Kitchen were vibrant and fully committed to their mission, bravely providing essential food supplies to the people in Gaza facing severe hunger.

These individuals met their untimely deaths at the hands of the Israeli military while departing from their organization's three warehouses in Deir al-Balah, which housed 100 tons of humanitarian aid.

This incident was not an unforeseen tragedy but a deliberate act. The organization had previously coordinated its team's movements with the Israeli military, ensuring they were in a non-conflict zone and traveling in vehicles clearly marked with their logo, as verified by video evidence.

Regrettably, this is not an isolated incident of the Israeli military targeting humanitarian aid workers.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, facing challenges both within Israel and internationally, has intensified his tactics. These include pressuring Hamas to release hostages, increasing actions against Iran and its allies in the region, and drawing the US deeper into the conflict, despite Washington's reluctance for a direct confrontation with Iran.

A strategy employed against Hamas involves the deliberate withholding of essential supplies from Gaza's population, exemplified by the World Central Kitchen incident, among others.

Memorably, there was an attack by the Israeli military at the start of last month on civilians gathering for food aid near Kuwait Square, resulting in 23 Palestinian casualties.

This event followed another devastating attack, where hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid were fired upon, leading to over 100 deaths and 760 injuries.

Furthermore, Israel has called for the disbandment of UNRWA, following allegations that the agency employed Hamas militants. This was after UNRWA disclosed that Israel had detained and coerced several of its staff into making false accusations about the agency's connections to Hamas and their involvement in the events of October 7, 2023.