Gaza Occupation and Aid Distribution Plan

Based on the provided sources, Israel’s plan to occupy parts of Gaza has significant impacts on humanitarian aid distribution efforts. The plan, recently approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet, involves expanding military operations, seizing and holding territory, flattening buildings, and displacing the population to designated “humanitarian areas” in the south. This occupation plan is linked to a separate, but related, plan for Israel to take over and manage humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza.

Here’s how Israel’s plan impacts aid distribution:

1. Shift in Control and Restricted Flow: Israel plans to take control of the distribution of humanitarian aid within Gaza, a role typically managed by international aid agencies. This plan involves severely restricting the amount of aid entering Gaza. Under this proposed system, Israel would permit only about 60 trucks carrying basic items per day, which is just one-tenth of the volume allowed during the previous ceasefire period. Aid agencies state this amount is far less than what is needed for the roughly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.

• Designated “Humanitarian Areas” and Distribution Hubs: The occupation plan includes displacing the population, potentially nearly all 2 million residents, to specific “humanitarian areas” or zones in the south, near Rafah. The new aid plan proposes distributing aid through designated “hubs” located in these areas. Aid distribution would initially be restricted to these few sites in the south.

• Vetting and Security Measures: Israel intends to vet those entering the humanitarian zones and receiving aid to prevent supplies from reaching Hamas. The proposed plan involves using private U.S. security contractors to provide security in and around these distribution hubs, while the IDF provides security in the broader area. Facial recognition technology may be used to identify visitors to the hubs. Israel claims these measures are necessary because Hamas has allegedly diverted and profited from aid, an allegation Hamas denies.

• Strong Opposition from Aid Agencies and International Bodies: Humanitarian organizations, including the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, have slammed and rejected Israel’s plan. They state it violates fundamental humanitarian principles such as impartiality, independence, and neutrality, especially as Israel is a party to the conflict. Aid agencies also argue the plan is logistically unworkable, insufficient to meet the scale of needs, and could put Palestinian civilians and aid workers at risk. Restricting aid distribution to specific southern sites is seen as discriminatory and potentially forcing further displacement. International law experts suggest the plan likely would not comply with international law obligations for an occupying power to ensure the basic needs of the civilian population are met.

• Context of Severe Humanitarian Crisis: The plan is being considered amid an existing severe hunger crisis in Gaza, exacerbated by Israel’s blockade which has prevented food, fuel, aid, and commercial goods from entering the enclave since early March 2025. This blockade followed the collapse of a ceasefire two months prior. Residents report surviving on one meal a day or less, communal kitchens have shut down, and malnutrition cases are rising.

• Security Vacuum and Lawlessness: Separately, sources report that Israel’s actions, including targeting the Hamas-run civilian police force responsible for protecting aid convoys and allegedly supporting or turning a blind eye to armed looters, have created a significant security vacuum and exacerbated lawlessness in Gaza. This chaos and rampant looting have made safe aid delivery extremely difficult and dangerous for humanitarian organizations.

• Perceived Strategic Objectives: Aid agencies and critics suggest the aid plan, combined with displacement, appears designed to use control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic as part of a military strategy. Some Israeli hardliners have openly called for starving the population or see managing aid distribution as a first step towards permanent occupation and control. Critics link the occupation and aid plans to goals of ethnic cleansing and making Gaza unlivable for Palestinians.