Geneva - Gaza: Europe and the Arabs
Israeli media sources reported that a serious security incident occurred in the Gaza Strip, where a military vehicle was attacked with an anti-tank missile in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood early Saturday morning, resulting in injuries. The sources said the army dispatched helicopters to the scene to transport a number of wounded soldiers to Tel Hashomer Hospital in central Israel. According to what was reported by the European Network website in Brussels, "Euronews," this Saturday morning, adding, "The Israeli army announced the killing of two soldiers from the engineering and Golani brigades, in addition to four injuries among its ranks."
This came after the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that after careful analysis, it appears that the design of the plan presented by Israel to the humanitarian community will increase the suffering of children and families in the Gaza Strip, and that it violates basic humanitarian principles, including through "the use of facial recognition technology as a precondition for aid access."
This was stated by UNICEF spokesman James Elder, who confirmed to reporters in Geneva on Friday that the only thing entering Gaza now "are bombs," while "everything necessary for a child's survival has been banned, and in many ways, it has been banned with pride." He said that this situation represents "a profound moral collapse, and no one will escape the price of this indifference." According to the UN daily news bulletin, "An impossible choice between displacement and death."
The UNICEF spokesman said that the plan - which Israel presented to the humanitarian community - Vulnerable groups unable to reach the proposed military zones are deprived of aid, and their family members are at risk of being targeted or caught in the crossfire as they travel to and from these areas.
He added, "Using humanitarian aid as bait to force displacement, particularly from north to south, will create an impossible choice between displacement and death."
He also noted that according to the plan presented, only 60 aid trucks will be delivered to the Gaza Strip daily, representing one-tenth of what was delivered during the ceasefire, and insufficient "to meet the needs of 2.1 million people, including 1.1 million children."
Mr. Elder expressed deep concern about the proposed use of facial recognition technology as a precondition for aid access, adding that screening and monitoring beneficiaries "for intelligence and military purposes violates all humanitarian principles."
He said there is a simple alternative: "lift the closure, allow humanitarian aid in, and save lives." "There is no escape from death."
For her part, Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications, said that there is no escape for the people of Gaza, as "death follows them wherever they go. There is no safe place in Gaza."
She added that "inaction and indifference" characterize the ongoing events in Gaza, continuing, "It's as if we are normalizing dehumanization and turning a blind eye to crimes that were broadcast live before our eyes, and before the eyes of the world. Families in Gaza are being bombed, children are being burned alive, and people are starving."
Ms. Touma added that hunger is spreading in Gaza, and even the long lines to receive the small amount of food that was distributed "have now disappeared" due to food shortages. She said that during her video conference with her UN colleagues in Gaza, she notices that "people are losing weight."
The problem is not capacity.
Touma said that it is "impossible" to replace UNRWA in Gaza, as it is the largest humanitarian organization in the Strip and has the largest presence. She noted that more than 10,000 staff are "working to deliver the remaining supplies" and manage shelters for displaced families, including the school that was bombed earlier this week, killing 30 people.