No War Crime: Intent to Aid
At the International Criminal Court, the prosecutor accuses Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, of violating a law against “intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare,” reports the WSJ.
An Increase in Deliveries to Gaza
Joel Zivot and Matthew Rabinowitz reveal a new study (Israeli academic nutritionists and physicians) that finds “more food is being delivered to Gaza today than before the war.”
The online dashboard of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, indicates that from January to September 2023, on average 100 food-carrying trucks entered Gaza daily: 27,434 trucks over 273 days.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or Unrwa, reports that the average number of food trucks entering Gaza increased from at least 55 in November to 97 in January and 118 in March 2024.
Who Is Confusing the Facts
Records of airdrops and food shipments delivered by land from January through April 2024 (recorded by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) show the shipment date, consignee, weight and contents of trucks entering Gaza, including aid delivered from multiple sources such as national and private donations.
The study revealed that the supply provided an average of 3,374 calories per person daily, well above the 2,100 recommended by the Sphere humanitarian movement as the minimum standard. It also confirms the daily availability of 101 grams of protein and 80.6 grams of fat per person, in compliance with the standards.
Yes, There Is a Major Hangup
The problem is that distribution within a war zone is extremely challenging, and food doesn’t necessarily get to Gazans—or to hostages. When Hamas has had the means to do so, particularly earlier in the war, it has stolen aid, fired rockets from humanitarian zones, and fired at Israeli troops near aid corridors. Despite this, in a survey conducted on March 20 by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 96% of Gazans said they could access food and water, albeit often with “great difficulty or risk.”
Humanitarian aid is not restricted into Gaza, provided it is coordinated in advance with Israeli authorities, continues the authors. It must, however, pass through legitimate security screening.
So far, 98.7% of all aid trucks sent were approved and entered the Gaza Strip. Only 1.3%, or 307 trucks, were rejected or sent for repackaging, as they carried unauthorized items that could be reprocessed for warfare and terrorist activities. These numbers demonstrate an intent to aid, not starve.
International organizations are guilty of a widespread double standard against Israel, accuse Messrs. Zivot and Rabinowitz.
The study illustrates that the case is factually baseless. Israel has taken concrete actions to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid into Gaza in the heat of battle.
This should be recognized as a new standard for the world—the furthest thing imaginable from a war crime.
The WSJ reports: Dr. Zivot is a physician. Mr. Rabinowitz is a healthcare executive. Elliot Berry contributed to this article.