MSF Accuses Israel of Using Limited Gaza Aid as a ‘Smokescreen’
Gaza (Quds News Network)- The limited number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza falls far short of meeting the territory’s vast humanitarian needs and instead serves as a “smokescreen” for Israel to “pretend the siege is over,” according to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders.
“The Israeli authorities’ decision to allow a ridiculously inadequate amount of aid into Gaza after months of an air-tight siege signals their intention to avoid the accusation of starving people in Gaza, while in fact keeping them barely surviving,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Khan Younis.
Gaza’s Government Media Office confirmed on Wednesday that, since March 2, the Israeli occupation has blocked all humanitarian aid and fuel trucks from entering the Gaza Strip and has closed all border crossings, despite the urgent need for at least 44,000 trucks during this period to meet the population’s most basic needs.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, issued a stark warning that 14,000 babies are at risk of dying within the next 48 hours if humanitarian aid does not reach them—a figure he described as “utterly chilling”.
On March 2, Israel announced the closure of Gaza’s main crossings, cutting off food, medical and humanitarian supplies, leading to an unprecedented deterioration of humanitarian conditions, according to reports by human rights organisations who have accused it of using starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinains.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, issued last week, warned that almost a quarter of the civilian population would face catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase Five) in the coming months.
However, after about 80 days of total blockade and starvation and widespread international outrage, Israel announced on Sunday night it will allow a very limited passage of aid trucks into the enclave.
However, two days later, the United Nations confirmed that Israel is still blocking food from reaching starving Palestinians with only five trucks of aid having reached Gaza by Tuesday afternoon.
Aid workers had not been given permission to distribute even that token shipment, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) told a Geneva press briefing.
Axios reported that aid will enter through several international organizations until a new US-Israeli aid mechanism begins on May 24.
The aid decision appears to be part of the broader US-Israeli plan. The strategy aims to push Gaza’s entire population into a narrow strip in the far south. Human rights groups say this amounts to forced displacement.
Under the plan, aid would only reach about 25% of Gaza’s population.
A senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that most aid distribution points will be located in southern Gaza. These centers will be run by the Israeli army and private US companies, not by neutral humanitarian groups.
The official added that this is a temporary one-week decision until distribution hubs are fully operational. Axios reported that aid will be delivered through the World Food Programme, World Central Kitchen, and other relief organizations.
The infamous plan is part of Israel’s ongoing offensive, known as “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.” It includes controlled aid deliveries, managed entirely by the military, with no independent oversight. Rights experts warn this turns humanitarian aid into a weapon.
The United Nations has criticized the American-Israeli strategy. The UN says it endangers civilians and violates the principle of impartial aid. Instead of protecting people, the aid corridors may be used to justify more attacks.
Humanitarian agencies warn that isolating civilians in a tightly controlled zone, while bombing other areas, turns basic survival into a military tool.
