Aid groups refuse to be complicit in 'dangerous' plan for Gaza

Facial recognition technology to be used in so-called aid 'hubs', sources say

A boy with a meal provided by a charity kitchen in Gaza city. Israel has blocked aid to the Gaza Strip since March. AFP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

An expanded Israeli offensive in Gaza that could see aid delivered in secure zones overseen by Israel is being boycotted by the UN and other aid groups, who say they will not be complicit in military action.

Details of the plan, which were confirmed to The National by sources familiar with the matter, include private security firms operating a number of “hubs” in which aid would be delivered with the help of facial recognition technology and phone alerts.

Aid would enter through Israel’s Karam Abu Salem crossing and travel along three main routes. Around 60 lorries would enter daily, the sources said.

This is far below Gaza's needs of 1,000 lorries a day, requirements that have been compounded since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023. Aid would also be delivered as close as possible to the time of need, to prevent the possibility of stockpiling, the sources added.

Israel says it needs more control over aid distribution to prevent supplies from falling into the hands of Hamas members. The UN said the plan “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles”.

It would also put people's lives at risk, give Israel total control of aid entry and distribution, and lead to forced displacement as people try to live close to aid outposts, Ahmed Bayram, an adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, told The National.

“These segregated zones wound undermine the architecture and mechanisms we have in place,” he said.

Aid denied

Israel has blocked every kind of aid from entering Gaza since March 2. This includes the provision of life-saving assistance such as surgical kits, baby food, vegetables and water.

Dozens of babies have died from malnutrition since the blockade, according to Palestinian health officials.

A malnourished 12-year-old Palestinian girl shows a picture of how she previously looked, at a shelter in Al Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza city. AFP

“We don't want to be part of something that violates the law and carries risks,” said Mr Bayram, who called the proposal a “non-starter”.

Unicef's communications chief in Palestine, Jonathan Crickx, highlighted the importance of the work being done by aid organisations.

“A plan where the humanitarian aid is being handled by one party to the conflict contravenes any humanitarian principles of independence impartiality and neutrality,” he said.

Currently, the UN method of working involves it going to hospitals and counting the number of incubators that are needed to support premature babies, for example, Mr Crickx said, speaking to The National from Gaza.

Based on an assessment of needs, supplies are then requested to be brought in to be distributed through a robust monitoring system that is then reassessed for its efficacy.

The NRC meanwhile provides water every day for 100,000 people in shelters and living in the open. Children are also educated through the council's programmes and shelter is given to families.

“The entire operation is co-ordinated with the UN and subject to the most stringent examinations and vetting processes,” Mr Bayram said.

Instances of looting − which the UN and other aid groups have blamed on the environment created by Israel − went down when more aid came in during the ceasefire which Israel breached on March 18, both officials said.

“Aid has been politicised in a way rarely seen elsewhere, and now it's being militarised with an Israeli-controlled system and that's the most dangerous prospect for aid agencies on the ground,” Mr Bayram said.