UN Rejects Israeli Proposal to Overhaul Gaza Aid Delivery System

Report By Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has formally rejected an Israeli plan to significantly change how humanitarian aid is distributed in the Gaza Strip, citing violations of core humanitarian principles.

The plan, first reported on Friday, would shift responsibility for aid distribution from wholesale UN-led operations to direct handouts by international agencies and private contractors, with the Israeli military providing external security. Israel claims the model would reduce aid diversion by Hamas.

In a detailed statement released Sunday night, OCHA warned that the Israeli strategy risks cutting off essential aid from Gaza’s most vulnerable populations.

• “The proposed plan developed by Israel is contrary to basic humanitarian principles and the Charter of the United Nations,” the UN agency said.
• “It endangers civilians by forcing them into militarized zones to receive life-saving aid.”
• “It also increases risks for aid workers and deepens displacement across Gaza.”

The agency emphasized it will not cooperate with any aid distribution model that does not meet international standards of neutrality, independence, humanity, and impartiality.

• “We will not participate in any scheme that places military strategy above humanitarian needs,” OCHA stressed.
• All UN and humanitarian partners in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unanimously rejected the Israeli plan.

OCHA expressed deep concern that the proposed model would fail to reach immobile or isolated civilians. Aid officials fear it will create additional barriers for those already suffering under siege and displacement.