Israel's US-backed Gaza aid plan may lead to second Nakba, UN agency chief warns

The head of Unrwa has sharply criticised Israel’s plan for aid delivery in Gaza, saying it violates core humanitarian principles and is designed to serve military goals rather than genuine relief efforts.

“It is not possible for a humanitarian organisation, which truly respects the basic humanitarian principles, to adhere to such a scheme,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa).

“This model seems also to be put in place in order to support more a military objective than a real humanitarian concern,” he added in an interview with Middle East Eye.

Israel’s proposed aid system is tied to the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a mechanism it insists will coordinate deliveries into the besieged enclave. But UN officials have rejected the scheme outright, arguing it lacks impartiality, endangers civilians, and risks accelerating displacement across Gaza.

Lazzarini dismissed the plan as unworkable. “I do not think that such a model will succeed,” he said.

Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that Israel continues to allow only a trickle of aid into Gaza, despite the catastrophic conditions caused by nearly three months of total blockade.

The World Food Programme has warned that nearly the entire population of Gaza is now facing the threat of severe hunger or outright famine.

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