Aid Must Not Be Weaponised in Gaza: War Child Alliance Statement

“The scenes from Rafah in Gaza over the past few days are a devastating indictment of a model that should never have existed. At least 31 Palestinians were killed and more than 175 wounded while trying to access food at a militarised distribution point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). War Child is deeply alarmed by this reckless experiment in outsourcing humanitarian aid to private contractors, under military oversight and outside of UN coordination.

"The GHF scheme, propped up by the US and Israeli governments, appears designed not to save lives but to control, displace and punish civilians. Corralling desperate families behind fences and placing aid under armed guard violates not only humanitarian principles but common decency.

"The true monstrosity of this ugly system lies the draping of a ‘humanitarian’ disguise over the military deployment of food as a means of displacing a population. The costume is so threadbare that only the Israeli government is still able to hold a straight face. To everyone else it is clear this is soldiers posing as aid workers, undermining the humanitarian principles they have twisted for their own purpose. Even more shameful is that this is being pursued with the active support of the US administration and the apathy of its allies.

"Ultimately, this is a war being waged against Gaza’s children. According to the World Health Organization, dozens of children have already died from starvation since the recent blocking of aid into Gaza. Thousands more are malnourished, displaced, and without access to lifesaving services. Families are living in ruins without fuel, food or water, forced to rely on makeshift fires to cook, or have resorted to animal fodder to feed their children. And yet, when aid is finally allowed in, it is concentrated at one end of Gaza, forcing the most vulnerable to walk huge distances just to survive.

"International law is clear: starving civilians is a war crime. Using food as leverage, restricting aid, and weaponising relief mechanisms to further displace or control civilians amounts to collective punishment. Aid must never be used to legitimise such abuses.

"War Child stands with UN agencies and humanitarian actors who have refused to participate in this charade. We call for the immediate restoration of UN-led, neutral and coordinated humanitarian access. Aid must be allowed to reach civilians wherever they are through safe, civilian-led corridors, not through fenced compounds and armed guards.

"This crisis will not be solved by gimmicks or armed contractors. It will only end when the siege is lifted, a permanent ceasefire is implemented, humanitarian access is fully restored, and the rights of civilians are upheld.

"Until then, the world is complicit in this man-made catastrophe.”