US rejects Hamas, UNRWA roles in Gaza as Israeli aid blockade persists

UNRWA, according to US Ambassador Marco Rubio, is “not going to play any role” in Gaza’s aid delivery, and he also refutes the possibility that Hamas will be a part of any future Israeli government.

The US secretary of state claimed that UNRWA had become “a subsidiary of Hamas,” in line with an Israeli government position that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has discredited. She made this claim during a press conference while on a Friday trip to Israel.

UNRWA reacted by insisting that its presence “remains vital to meeting urgent humanitarian needs” throughout the bombarded and starved enclave, where more than 68, 000 Palestinians have been killed by an Israeli offensive in the past two years.

The organization added that the ICJ has acknowledged that “no organization can replace the UNRWA’s role in supporting the people of Gaza” in a statement published on X.

Rubio’s characterization was also refuted by Farhan Haq, the UN Secretary-General’s deputy spokesperson. He told UN reporters, “You’ve already heard us talk about how UNRWA is not connected to Hamas.” The foundation of our humanitarian operations in Gaza is UNRWA.

After accusing some of its employees of participating in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023 without providing any evidence, Israel forbade the organization from operating.

Nour Odeh, a journalist for Al Jazeera, described Rubio’s declaration that UNRWA was a “subsidiary” as “quite shocking” and “devastating” for UNRWA and all those involved in Gaza.

The ICJ and two independent commissions of inquiry exonerated UNRWA, according to Odeh, and it also has the largest, most comprehensive aid system in Gaza.

She said, “It has thousands of employees and has the knowledge to give Palestinians aid in a timely manner and with dignity.”

In Gaza, “nobody has that kind of history and infrastructure.”

Israel has continued to launch attacks across Gaza in spite of a US-mediated ceasefire that began earlier this month and kept the Rafah crossing close to Egypt closed, preventing the large-scale aid deliveries mandated by the agreement.

Rubio said on Friday that he hoped to set up a global security force soon to enshrine the ceasefire in Gaza and that Israel, which opposes Turkiye, could veto participants.

Rubio said the force will need to include nations that Israel is “comfortable with.”

After largely indirect involvement, NATO member Turkiye, one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s occupation of Gaza, has mediated the ceasefire negotiations. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump met last month at the White House, and their increased role followed.

Erdogan stated on Friday that the task force is still in discussion and that “the methods are not yet clear.”

He declared, “We are ready to offer Gaza any form of support on this issue.”

The largest Muslim-majority state in the world, Indonesia, has stated that it is prepared to send troops to Gaza.

The United Arab Emirates has already participated in ceasefire monitoring, having already resumed relations with Israel in 2020.

“Daily struggle for survival”

The main Palestinian factions, including the PA, announced on Friday that they had agreed to have an independent committee of technocrats take control of Gaza, despite Rubio claiming that any potential role for the Palestinian Authority (PA) has not yet been determined.

A temporary Palestinian committee made up of independent “technocrats” who will oversee daily life and basic services in collaboration with Arab brothers and international organizations, was agreed during a meeting in Cairo.

All Palestinian factions agree on a “unified vision,” according to Husam Badran, the head of Hamas’s national relations and political bureaucrat.

The 2.1 million people who have largely been displaced in Gaza have remained severely affected by the situation there.

Homes are still destroyed, bodies are still trapped beneath the rubble, according to Mahmoud Basal, the civil defense spokesperson in Gaza, and roads are blocked by debris.

He claimed that teams are still operating “with almost no resources” despite the “dragon of destruction” that has been felt throughout the Strip.

After one building abruptly collapsed on Palestinians in Gaza City, the civil defense warned residents to stay away from buildings that have been damaged by Israeli bombings in a separate statement.

Many families in northern Gaza have chosen to go back to their homes because of a “daily struggle for survival,” according to Hani Mahmoud of Al Jazeera.

He claimed that people are only returning to the “skeletons of these buildings” when reporting from Gaza City.

We’ve seen people searching for flour, lentils, or some canned food for hours, sometimes days, to survive these difficult circumstances because there is nothing inside, no access to water, or food supplies.

As aid levels remain significantly below what the ceasefire agreement requires, according to Haq, Israel must permit entry of “more]aid trucks at more crossing points.

He claimed that there has never been a time since the ceasefire’s implementation that 600 UN trucks have reportedly entered Gaza, the most frequently required daily transportation for Palestinians there.

The aid flow into Gaza has decreased significantly, according to the World Health Organization, and there has also been no discernible decrease in hunger.

According to WHO’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “the situation continues to be catastrophic because what is entering is not enough.”

Source: Aljazeera