AhlulBayt News Agency: Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Secretary General Christopher Lockyear has strongly criticized the US-Israel plan for aid distribution in Gaza, calling it “ineffective” and “disastrous.” He condemned the militarization of humanitarian assistance, stating that it fails to address the urgent needs of Palestinians.
Lockyear pointed to the chaotic start of food distribution by the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which resulted in dozens of Palestinians being shot and injured by Israeli forces in Rafah. He described the aid as wholly insufficient and distributed under dangerous conditions.
Palestinians, deprived of essential supplies for nearly three months, were confined by fences while waiting for basic necessities. Lockyear emphasized that this reflects the dehumanizing treatment imposed by Israeli authorities for over 19 months.
He warned that food is not being delivered to areas where it is needed most but is instead directed to locations chosen by Israeli forces. This approach, he argued, leaves the most vulnerable—especially the elderly and disabled—without access to critical aid.
Lockyear described the aid mechanism as a cynical attempt to appear compliant with International Humanitarian Law while using aid as a tool for forced displacement and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
He accused Israeli authorities of obstructing humanitarian assistance by allowing only a trickle of aid trucks into Gaza, then preventing them from reaching those in desperate need, including children and pregnant women.
Lockyear stated that forcing humanitarian organizations to distribute insufficient aid amid chaos reinforces a false narrative that aid must be militarized. He warned that weaponizing aid, alongside displacement orders and bombings, could constitute crimes against humanity.
He called for an immediate ceasefire and the urgent reopening of Gaza’s borders to allow the free flow of humanitarian aid, including food, medical supplies, fuel, and essential equipment.
Since launching its military campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 54,321 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
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