Israeli authorities keep repeating the claim that 'there is no limit on the amount of aid' that can enter Gaza but several policy choices by Israel are severely impeding Palestinians' access to basic necessities
Israeli authorities keep repeating the claim that “there is no limit on the amount of aid,” including food and medicine, that can enter Gaza. In practice, Israeli policy is severely impeding the humanitarian response to the catastrophe faced by Palestinians in the Strip, a flagrant and continuous violation of Israel’s obligations under international law.
Below is a list of policy choices by Israel that directly hinder humanitarian operations, prevent the entry and distribution of sufficient volumes of aid, and are driving famine in Gaza, particularly in the north of the Strip:
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Refusing to open additional crossings to Gaza, including in the north. Since mid-March, a handful of trucks entered northern Gaza through an entry point referred to as “Gate 96,” but not nearly enough to begin to address the disaster unfolding.
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Systematically denying access by humanitarian agencies to areas north of Wadi Gaza, where some 300,000 residents face catastrophic levels of hunger.
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Refusing to allow humanitarian agencies to purchase goods from Israel and the West Bank, forcing them to source supplies in Jordan or in Egypt or to import via Egypt, adding costs and logistical hurdles to aid operations.
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Blocking commercial trade via Kerem Shalom Crossing. Private sector actors in Gaza have so far only been allowed to bring goods in from Egypt. Before October 7, 91% of the goods entering Gaza via Kerem Shalom were for the private sector, and most of the goods were purchased in Israel or the West Bank.
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Blocking the use of Ashdod Port or other ports in Israel for entry of international aid. Aid agencies have to import goods via Port Said in Egypt, which is 200 km (124 miles) away from Rafah Crossing, or via Al Arish airport. Al Arish is only 45 km (25 miles) from Rafah but the load of cargo planes is much less than large boats fit for deep-sea ports like Port Said and Ashdod. Other challenges, such as bad roads in Egypt and lack of sufficient storage facilities, also undermine the efforts of aid organizations. Israel granted permission for the import of flour via Ashdod following considerable pressure from the US administration, which, while not enough to answer needs in Gaza, is further indication that the overall block on aid imports via Ashdod is a matter of political will.
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Failing to meet its obligation to secure safe zones, conduct effective deconfliction for humanitarian convoys, ensure the safety of humanitarian staff and facilitate their work, especially in north Gaza. Instead, Israel has attacked humanitarian staff, aid storage facilities, and aid trucks, targeting Palestinian police accompanying aid convoys as well as people seeking aid.
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Turning back aid trucks and denying so called “dual-use” items needed for the humanitarian response.
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Failing to disperse obstructive Israeli protests at the Kerem Shalom and Nitzana crossings.
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Refusing to restore the supply of electricity or resume the full water supply, both of which were purchased by the Palestinian Authority from Israel’s Electric Corporation and Mekorot, respectively, and which Israel cut off in the days following October 7. Israel also continues to block the entry of industrial fuel for Gaza’s power plant.
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Limiting the entry of fuel needed for transporting aid, fueling ambulances, and running back-up generators being used to operate critical civilian infrastructure, including the telecommunications and water and sanitation systems, in light of the full, six-month electricity blackout.
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Conducting a lengthy, non-transparent and logistically complicated inspection process for the goods entering Gaza via Kerem Shalom and Rafah. Life-saving aid and basic necessities are delayed, sometime for weeks at a time, due to the obstacles mounted by Israel.
Alongside and above all these, a full, long-term ceasefire is urgently needed to prevent further loss of life, ensure the return of the hostages, and address the humanitarian disaster still unfolding in Gaza.
Israel’s failure to take immediate, effective steps to increase the flow of aid to civilians throughout Gaza is a blatant violation of its obligations under international law, both as an occupying power and as a party to the hostilities. This failure also goes against Israeli legal precedent, and is a breach of the provisional measures set by the International Court of Justice.
For more information on the High Court petition submitted by Gisha along with HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, and Adalah, calling on Israel to meet its obligations regarding the facilitation of aid operations, see here.