Analysis-
PARIS — Among the tens of thousands of those killed and injured in the Gaza Strip over the last six months, the deaths of seven humanitarians by an Israeli drone strike might not seem so shocking. It does, however, reveal the type of war that the Israeli army has been waging, in which civilians are the first victims.
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The seven aid workers, citizens of the United Kingdom, Poland, Australia and Palestine, as well as a dual Canadian-American national, were on a mission in Gaza for the NGO World Central Kitchen. Their aid operation had been coordinated with the Israeli army — in order to avoid exactly what happened, a drone shot in the middle of the night.
“This is what happens during a war,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Though he declared that the incident was “tragic” and not intentional, and that an investigation would be carried out, his reaction was clearly insufficient in light of both the event itself, and the international outcry.
Civilians in distress
“Unacceptable,” said David Cameron, the UK Foreign Secretary, following news that three victims were British. The same shock was felt in the other capitals involved, including Washington.
The result is aid which either doesn’t arrive or is not enough.
The point here is obviously not to consider that the life of a humanitarian is worth more than that of a Gazan, but to focus on one of the most atrocious aspects of this conflict: the question of aid to the two million or so civilians in distress in Gaza.
This is a major issue at the heart of the war. On Tuesday, several humanitarian organizations spoke of “weaponizing food”: a strong and damning phrase, pointing to possible war crimes.
Unable to stop the war, foreign nations have concentrated their energies on providing humanitarian aid, but find themselves repeatedly faced with obstacles put in place by the Israeli authorities. Those include a largely closed border that allows only a trickle of aid truck to pass, general insecurity that has claimed some 200 lives among the Palestinian staff of aid agencies, and Israel’s delegitimization of UNRWA, the UN’s specialized agency for the Palestinians.
The result is aid which either never arrives, or is far from enough.
An “immediate” ceasefire
Monday’s incident exacerbates the situation. Several NGOs have suspended their operations in Gaza for three days, in solidarity with the seven victims, and to reevaluate the security situation. An aid ship on route to Gaza turned back to Cyprus, on the grounds that security could not be guaranteed.
The Netanyahu government is clearly indifferent to criticism of access to aid.
All this is obviously having an effect on the conditions of the population, in particular in the north where famine is looming.
The Netanyahu government is clearly indifferent to criticism of access to aid, and also indifferent to the international outcry over the methods used. It is giving absolute priority to its hunt for Hamas, at the cost of collective punishment of Gaza’s civilians.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to remember that ten days ago the Security Council voted for an “immediate” ceasefire, and that now would be time to apply it, before any more tragedies occur. Intentional or otherwise.
