Following a disagreement between Chief of Staff Zamir and the political leadership over the distribution of aid in Gaza, the Security Cabinet approved earlier this week, in principle, a new mechanism for delivering humanitarian assistance. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced today (Friday) that Israel is expected to change its system for transferring aid. According to him, the IDF will be responsible for securing the aid corridors, but the actual distribution will be carried out by external organizations and foreign governments.
Preventing Hamas from Seizing the Aid
“Aid will not be distributed by Israeli soldiers. It will be done by international NGOs and foreign governments, with private security accompanying them,” Huckabee said. “The IDF will be responsible for securing the areas, but won’t be at the distribution points. This ensures that Hamas cannot divert the aid again. We’ve seen too many cases of that happening already.”
“Nobody wants to see Hamas get stronger from food intended for hungry civilians,” he added.
The New Distribution Framework
Under the new arrangement, Israel will be responsible for securing the areas where distribution takes place but will not be directly involved in delivering food, medicine, or humanitarian supplies to the population.
“Private security companies will accompany humanitarian workers during the food distribution to Gaza residents,” the ambassador said, emphasizing that Israeli forces will not be present at the distribution points themselves but will provide remote security to defend them against attacks by terrorist groups.
Third-Party Distribution
The task of distributing the aid will fall to international aid organizations and foreign governments, which will oversee the logistics and manage the on-the-ground operations.
Huckabee noted that several international partners have already agreed to participate in the effort, but since the details with them have not yet been finalized, the organizations cannot be named at this time.
