US admits its new aid plan would initially only feed 60% of Gaza, as UN rejects proposal
CNN
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee outlined an American-Israeli plan to funnel humanitarian aid into parts of Gaza that he acknowledged will initially feed only about 60% of the population.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee outlined an American-Israeli plan to funnel humanitarian aid into parts of Gaza that he acknowledged will initially feed only about 60% of the population. Huckabee said the aid mechanism, which will be administered by a newly formed private foundation stood up by the US, will aim to distribute food in a way that “Hamas is not able to get their hands on it.” Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of stealing and profiting off aid shipments to Gaza, but humanitarian aid organizations say the overwhelming majority of food aid reaches civilians in need. Under the US-Israeli plan, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, as it’s called, would set up distribution sites that would be secured by private US military contractors and manned by aid workers. The Israeli military would “be involved in providing necessary military security” outside the immediate area of the distribution sites, Huckabee said, speaking at the US embassy in Jerusalem. The foundation will initially establish four distribution sites which will aim to provide “pre-packaged rations, hygiene kits, and medical supplies” to a total of 1.2 million Palestinians, or about 60% of Gaza’s population, according to a foundation document obtained by CNN. Pressed by CNN what the remaining 40% of Gaza’s population is expected to do, Huckabee said the mechanism will be “scaled up” over time.
United States and Israeli officials are discussing a mechanism to deliver aid to Gaza that bypasses Hamas, an Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that defeating Israel’s enemies is more important than securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.