As the debate heats up over the delivery of aid into Gaza, Israeli officials have once again questioned the United Nations over its data, specifically, aid getting stolen or intercepted, and the number of trucks entering the enclave from Israel.
As of August 12, the U.N. Office for Project Services showed that 3,140 trucks have been intercepted en route to their destinations since May 19. Only 412 trucks, 11.6% of the total sent into the region, reached their targeted location. The U.N. said the aid was taken "either peacefully by hungry people or forcefully armed actors."
On Tuesday, a review conducted by the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) claimed to have found that the U.N. figures have failed to account for the entry of around 6,000 additional trucks since May. COGAT said that Israel has allowed about 9,200 trucks to deliver aid to Gaza in the last three months, a figure 2.5 times higher than the around 3,500 trucks counted by the U.N.
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"The fact that the U.N. presents only part of the aid actually transferred misleads the international community and creates a false picture of the situation, directly influencing global media coverage and shaping the positions of international decision-makers regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza," a COGAT statement read.
Meanwhile, the often-maligned U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) out-of-the-box aid delivery mechanisms continue to show success, according to the group. Theft and looting have not been an issue for the GHF - which continues to provide between one and two million meals per day through distribution sites secured by armed guards. GHF has provided over 130 million meals since the start of its operations on May 27.
"The presence of armed security is one of the reasons why GHF has been able to deliver aid successfully without a single truck being looted," noting that "in one of the most volatile and complex operating environments in the world, that security is the only reason food consistently reaches civilians without interference from Hamas."
Though a group of about 230 NGOs initially rejected the organization on account of what they called "militarized distribution sites," Fay said things might be changing as over 200 international organizations, "sent a letter calling on the U.N. to collaborate with us."
"This is not the militarization of aid … It is the only way to make sure food actually reaches civilians. Every decision we make is guided by protecting lives."
He said "more aid is the solution to many of the problems in Gaza today" and that GHF is "willing to work with any organization that wants to help feed the people of Gaza."
Several weeks ago, Fay toured the vast lots in Kerem Shalom crossing, where pallets of U.N. aid await pickup by drivers. "I saw about a dozen [trucks] sitting roasting, fully laden with dozens of pallets of food in each truck. I saw flour rotting on the side of the road. There were medical supplies that had already expired."
Speaking with the drivers who deliver aid to Gaza, he was told they had been in the loading area for five days, living out of their trucks. The drivers said that on the fourth day, they attempted to enter Gaza from Kerem Shalom but were shot at by unknown gunmen in Gaza. He reported that the drivers are now in "fear for their lives," and asked if GHF would provide security for their trucks.
A U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "the use of armed escorts can undermine perceptions of humanitarians’ neutrality and independence, in turn jeopardizing community acceptance and staff security, and hindering access to civilians in need." The spokesperson called for armed escorts to "only be used in exceptional circumstances as a last resort."
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"Everyone working in Gaza is operating under extremely dangerous circumstances … what is clear is that conditions are not in place for humanitarians or those who support them to deliver aid at scale safely, rapidly and efficiently. We have consistently called for civilians to always be protected and for us to be enabled to reach people in need.
"In order to reach people in Gaza facing starvation, we need a predictable lifeline of aid via all available crossings and through all available corridors. We also need removal of the impediments we continue to face: delays at checkpoints; impassable, dangerous or congested routes; and restrictions on what can enter and on who is allowed to bring supplies."
The spokesperson did not respond to questions about the fate of aid that has not reached its destination, or about whether drivers’ fear of kidnap, death, and looting is hindering aid dispersion. The spokesperson did claim that "the U.N. and our partners have strict monitoring in place with oversight on deliveries when enabled to do so," and said that "we do not have evidence of systematic aid diversion from the U.N. to Hamas."
Despite statements to the contrary, there continues to be growing evidence that Hamas is diverting and benefitting from humanitarian aid.
A State Department public assessment provided to Fox News Digital stated that the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of the Inspector General "has received and is actively investigating credible allegations of systematic interference by Hamas in Gaza. These allegations can come from aid workers, whistleblowers, and other parties, rather than sanitized disclosures sent by U.N. agencies which refuse to name Hamas as the party responsible for the interference. Whistleblowers, including U.N. staff, may fear political retaliation or violent retribution for sharing information and outing Hamas."
An Israeli military official told Fox News Digital that of the aid that is diverted from U.N. trucks, he estimates about 40% percent is taken by local communities, and about 60% taken by armed looters. He said that it is difficult to assess how much aid is being diverted by Hamas. "Hamas is not a force wearing a uniform and identifying themselves," he said.
An Israeli military official told Fox News Digital that, of the aid diverted from U.N. trucks, about 40% is taken by local communities and 60% by armed looters. He said it's difficult to assess how much aid is stolen by Hamas, as "Hamas is not a force wearing a uniform and identifying themselves."
The Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) shared a video X of Hamas looting aid packages on July 29, explaining that "even when aid is delivered into Gaza - Hamas loots it for its own use, blatantly disregarding the needs of the population."
On Aug. 12, COGAT showed another video on X of armed members of Hamas attempting to avoid targeting by affixing a World Central Kitchen emblem to their vehicle and donning yellow vests. The NGO confirmed that the vehicle was not affiliated with the organization.
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Orde Kittrie, a law professor at Arizona State University and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Hamas’ obstruction of aid violates international law.
"Intentionally obstruct[ing] the passage of humanitarian relief, including food, to civilians in need" is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. He said Hamas is violating "the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Article 11 of which recognizes ‘the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger,’ because it is "starving its own people."
"What Hamas is doing represents an unusual, if not altogether new, type of violation of the prohibition on 'starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.’ This prohibition is typically violated by a military intentionally starving enemy civilians in order to pressure the enemy to surrender or to abandon positions or to divert limited resources to the enemy's own civilians. In contrast, Hamas appears to be intentionally starving their own civilians in order to leverage their suffering as a strategic information weapon against Israel," he added.
