The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has strongly criticized a newly established US-backed system for aid distribution in the Gaza Strip. According to Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the system is “an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people”. He further emphasized that “it is a death trap costing more lives than it saves”.
This scathing criticism comes after the US announced the establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in early May, following Israel’s complete cutoff of supplies to Gaza for over two months. The GHF, a private organization, began operations on May 26, effectively sidelining UNRWA, which has long been the primary agency assisting the population in the Gaza Strip.
Lazzarini’s concerns are echoed by other humanitarian organizations, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which has warned that the plan could force families into an “impossible choice between displacement and death”. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder highlighted that Gaza’s most vulnerable individuals, including the elderly, children with disabilities, the sick, and the wounded, would face “horrendous challenges” retrieving aid if the US-backed plan were implemented.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with over 450 people killed and nearly 3,500 injured by Israeli fire while seeking aid since late May, many of them near GHF sites. In fact, medical sources reported that Israeli attacks have killed at least 50 aid seekers in Gaza so far today.
The UNRWA chief’s condemnation of the US-backed aid system underscores the urgent need for a more effective and safe aid distribution mechanism. Lazzarini emphasized that the existing system, led by UNRWA, is “fit for purpose” and that lifting the siege and opening the gates for aid would be a more effective solution. “Let’s not waste time: We already have a plan… Let us in. Let us work,” he urged, highlighting the thousands of trucks of food waiting at the border.
The international community is faced with a critical decision: to support a flawed system that prioritizes security concerns over human lives or to advocate for a more compassionate and effective approach that prioritizes the needs of the people in Gaza. As Lazzarini poignantly stated, “The people of Gaza are dying… Lift the siege. Open the gates. Let us do our jobs”.