The United States announced on May 8th that a new foundation will soon unveil an aid plan for Gaza, according to Al-Monitor via AFP.
The initiative emerges as Israel’s blockade, now in its second month, continues to prevent vital humanitarian supplies from reaching the besieged territory.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated the foundation is non-governmental and added, “We welcome moves to quickly get urgent food aid into Gaza… in a way that the food aid actually gets to those to whom it’s intended.” She emphasised that such aid must not fall into the hands of Hamas.
The announcement follows an alarming announcement from the UN World Food Programme, which confirmed that it has run out of food stocks in Gaza due to Israel’s blockade.
As reported by the BBC on April 25th and cited by Levantis, all 25 bakeries supported by the WFP shut down due to a lack of wheat flour and cooking fuel, signalling a worsening humanitarian disaster.
Meanwhile, efforts by activists to break the blockade have faced violence. On May 2nd, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition reported that a drone strike hit its aid ship off Malta’s coast, BBC via Reuters reported.
The vessel, which carried 30 people including climate activist Greta Thunberg, was on a mission to deliver aid to Gaza. Volunteer Surya McEwen called the strike an “unprovoked attack.”
UNICEF has also warned against new Israeli plans to deliver aid. On May 9th, James Elder, a UNICEF spokesperson, stated that these new strategies could worsen the suffering of Gaza’s children and families, Middle East Eye via Reuters reported.
Al-Monitor via AFP, BBC, Middle East Eye, Reuters
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