The UN emphasizes adherence to the principles of neutrality and independence in the supply of vital humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The United Nations said that it will not participate in a humanitarian operation supported by the United States in Gaza because it is not impartial, neutral or independent, because Israel has committed to facilitate effort without being involved in aid deliveries.
“This particular distribution plan does not agree with our basic principles, including those of impartiality, neutrality, independence, and we will not participate,” said the deputy spokesman for the UN Farhan Haq on Thursday.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation supported by the United States will begin to work in Gaza by the end of May as part of a highly criticized aid plan that the head of help of the UN Tom Fletcher described as a “fig leaf for an additional violence and displacement” of Palestinians in Gaza.
Addressing Antalya journalists, Turkiye, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recognized criticism on Thursday and said Washington was open to any alternative plan to get civilian aid “without Hamas being able to steal it”.
“We are not safe or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the inhabitants of Gaza, and I know that there are opportunities here to help them,” said Rubio after talking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier on Thursday.
“There are criticisms on this plan. We are open to an alternative if someone has a better one,” he said.
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs Coordination said Thursday that the UN “had a solid operational plan and in principle to provide humanitarian aid and large -scale vital services and immediately through the Gaza Strip”.
Israel accused Hamas of stolen aid, which the group denies, and has blocked the delivery of all humanitarian aid to Gaza since March 2, demanding that Hamas release all the remaining captives.
A report on the classification initiative for the integrated food security phase published Monday said that the Gaza Strip “is still faced with a critical risk of famine” after more than a year and a half of devastating war, with the vast majority of its approximately 2.1 million people at severe risk.
In order to respond to certain concerns, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has asked Israel to extend an initial limited number of so -called secure aid distribution in southern Gaza in the north within 30 days. He also asked Israel to let the UN and others take back the help deliveries now until it is put in place.
“I do not know these requests, perhaps when they went to Jerusalem, but I will tell you that we appreciate the effort of the United States,” the Israel ambassador Danny Danon said on Thursday.
“We will not finance these efforts. We will facilitate them. We allow them,” he said. “We will not be those who will give help … It will be managed by the fund itself, led by the United States.”
Israel and the United States have urged the UN and aid groups to cooperate and work with the Foundation.
We do not know how the foundation will be funded. A spokesperson for the State Department said that no funding for the United States government was going to the Foundation.
An information sheet on the Foundation, circulating among the aid community last week, listed the former head of the United Nations Food Program for the United Nations, David Beasley, as a potential advisor. However, a source familiar with the effort said that Beasley was not currently involved.