ALBAWABA — Palestinian groups in Gaza have taken it upon themselves to guard and guide humanitarian aid convoys. They are doing this in response to what they say are planned Israeli attempts to cause chaos and stop the delivery of aid.
Since Israel started letting some aid back into Gaza in late May, scenes of violence and chaos have made it hard to get essential goods to people who need them. Israeli troops are said to have opened fire near groups of people waiting for food aid because they were afraid that Hamas would take control of the shipments. These claims have been denied by the UN, which says that Israel's limits make relocation and suffering worse and make humanitarian aid political.
As the crisis and lack of food got worse, Gaza's tribe leaders started a community-led effort to make sure that aid trucks got to stores safely, skipping the long lines and getting the goods to those who need them. Their hard work paid off on Wednesday, when food convoys were able to get into Gaza City. It was the first time that distribution went smoothly since aid started again.
A member of the Palestinian Tribal and Clans Council named Alaa Al-Aklouk told Al Jazeera Net that this plan was organized with UN OCHA and shared with the Israeli side. He stressed how important it was for everyone in the community to work together to stop the famine and keep the peace as people were getting more and more desperate.
The project got backing from many groups, such as the Gaza Private Transport Association. Nahid Shuheibar, the country's president, said that tribe planning was a big part of getting things back to normal and called for the model to be used in central and southern Gaza as well.
But Israeli leaders responded quickly. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would step down if aid entry wasn't stopped, saying that the goods were getting into the hands of Hamas without any proof. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the troops they had 48 hours to come up with a plan to stop any more help from getting to Hamas.
The Gaza Government Media Office said in a statement that the Israeli story was not true and that aid security was done by community members alone, without any help from Hamas or the government. They said that Israel was creating chaos to explain a blockade that has left more than 2.2 million Palestinians severely hungry for 118 days in a row.
The Higher Committee for Tribal Affairs stated that the success of this social effort shows how well local leaders can do their jobs. It promised to keep working, no matter what Israel did, and it didn't agree with the chaos that Israeli forces are said to be trying to bring about.
This local action has not only reduced immediate hunger risks, but it has also called into question Israel's story of control and shown that Gaza's communities are strong even when they are consistently denied food.
