UK rejects any Gaza aid distribution plan that endangers vulnerable civilians

US and Israel have announced plans for a new distribution procedure in the enclave, bypassing UN-led channels

A distraught Palestinian child receives food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, on May 8. Reuters

The UK said on Tuesday it would not support any aid delivery system that seeks to achieve political or military objectives, and that endangers vulnerable civilians, as it called on Israel to lift its 70 day blockade on humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

Britain's UN envoy Barbara Woodward pressed Israel to “urgently” engage with the world body to restore aid flows into the besieged enclave, where famine risks are growing.

“The World Food Programme warned us over a week ago that they have no food left. And IPC data released yesterday shows that the whole of Gaza is at risk of famine,” Ms Woodward said. “Meanwhile, tonnes of food are currently sitting rotting at the border, blocked from reaching people who are starving.”

Most of the 15-member Security Council expressed concern about the proposed aid distribution plans.

Slovenia’s envoy Samuel Zbogar said established aid networks including UN agencies and NGOs such as UNRWA and the WFP “must remain the backbone of the response".

The US and Israel have announced plans to establish a new aid distribution system for Gaza, bypassing UN-led channels that both countries have accused of allowing aid to fall into the hands of Hamas.

White House denies claim US is militarising Gaza aid

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Aid groups have said the plan militarises the distribution of assistance, as it involves Israel providing external security while a non-government “charitable foundation” ensures the aid gets to those in need.

“The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is an independent entity that has been established to provide a secure mechanism capable of delivering aid directly to those in need without Hamas stealing, looting or leveraging the aid for its own ends," said Dorothy Shea, US deputy ambassador at the UN.

“For weeks, members of this council have been calling for a resumption in the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza colleagues. There is now a means through which this can be done."

The aid would be co-ordinated through the newly established private entity and distributed at four “secure” sites. Ms Shea said the US has sent senior members of the administration to Israel to work on the procedure.

“Anyone serious about restoring the flow of aid should support this important effort,” she said, calling on the UN to work with the foundation.

Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip since early March, when it resumed its devastating military campaign against militant group Hamas after the collapse of a ceasefire deal. At the end of last month, the WFP said it had run out of food stocks in Gaza.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher also condemned the US-Israeli Gaza aid plan, calling it a “cynical sideshow” and a “fig leaf for further violence and displacement,” warning it forces mass displacement and restricts aid to only part of Gaza turning starvation into a "bargaining chip".

Mr Fletcher said the UN has met more than a dozen times with Israeli authorities to discuss their proposed aid distribution model "to find a way to make it possible", stressing the minimum conditions needed for UN involvement.

Displaced Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen in Jabalia camp, northern Gaza Strip, on May 9. EPA

The Israeli proposal for aid deliveries, the details of which have not been made public, "practically excludes many, including people with disabilities, women, children, the elderly and the wounded", said Mr Fletcher.

In a joint statement before the council meeting, five European members – France, Britain, Slovenia, Greece and Denmark – said that they were "deeply concerned" over the Israeli plan, "which the UN has said would not meet humanitarian principles".

“We have rigorous mechanisms to ensure our aid reaches civilians, not Hamas. But Israel denies us access,” Mr Fletcher said. “It is bad enough that the blockade continues. How do you react when Israeli ministers boast about it?”

He called on the Security Council to intervene, asking: “For those killed and those whose voices are silenced: what more evidence do you need? Will you act decisively to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law?”