Israel said on Friday it was committed to its legal obligations to provide humanitarian aid to desperate civilians in Gaza, outlining a series of measures to deliver aid by land, air and sea. But progress in efforts has been slow, and aid groups say they are not nearly enough to meet the huge need in the enclave.
A day after the United Nations’ top court ruled, in its sharpest language yet, that Israel must ensure “unhindered” aid to Gaza, the State Department said it would continue to promote “new initiatives” and expand efforts to facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza.
Aid officials are sounding the alarm of a looming famine, especially in the northern part of the territory, where desperation has prompted people to flock to aid trucks and where aid groups say they are struggling to deliver supplies because of Israeli restrictions and of widespread lawlessness.
In its ruling, the UN court, the International Court of Justice, said Israel must take “all necessary and effective measures” to guarantee the delivery of aid, including food, water and medicine. The court has no means of forcing Israel to comply with its orders, but it is the supreme arbiter of international law, and its decisions carry symbolic weight.
After urgent calls from the United States and other allies to do more, Israel approved a handful of aid efforts in the past month, including a ship carrying food from a charity group to Gaza from Cyprus, air flights from foreign countries and direct crossings from Israel to northern Gaza with a small number of aid trucks.
Aid groups have accused Israel, which insists on inspecting and approving every aid delivery, of restricting the flow. Israel has at times maintained that there was plenty of aid reaching Gaza, while insisting that disorganization by aid groups and diversions of shipments by Hamas were responsible for any bottlenecks.
World Central Kitchen, a non-profit disaster relief organization, built a jetty in northern Gaza to accept sea shipments, and the group has sent one ship to the enclave so far. The organization says it has also prepared a second boat, but it has not yet set sail from Cyprus. As part of an effort to increase seaborne missions, the United States military is building a temporary pier, but that will take weeks.
Several countries have airdropped aid in recent weeks, but aid officials say they are ineffective and expensive, with each plane carrying only a relatively small amount of aid. They’re also dangerous: This week, Gaza authorities said 12 people drowned while trying to retrieve aid that fell into the ocean. Previously, they reported that some people were killed by falling packages.
The UN court also asked Israel to increase the number of land crossings to Gaza and keep them open as long as necessary.
In addition to two crossings in the south, Israel recently opened a direct entry point in the north, but only a small number of trucks were able to use the route. Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official in Jerusalem, said he was particularly concerned about the famine in northern Gaza, where he said it was extremely difficult to get supplies.
Many experts have said a ceasefire is needed to significantly scale up aid, but talks aimed at ending the fighting and freeing hostages held by militants in Gaza appeared to be stalling, with Hamas rejecting the offer. week Israel’s latest counterproposal.
In a small sign of hope for a deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the departure of security delegations to Cairo and Doha to participate in negotiations on the issue, according to a statement from his office.
