Assistance in Gaza must continue to be distributed by the UN according to Slovenia’s opinion

Brussels – The distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza must remain under the authority of the United Nations, said State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Melita Gabrič upon arriving at the EU ministers’ meeting on development cooperation. The US and Israel presented a new aid distribution system this month, which will involve private companies.

Slovenia supports the neutral distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza, which according to Gabrič means that it is not distributed by private companies, but by the United Nations. She emphasized that the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) must remain the central institution for assisting civilians in the Palestinian enclave.

The US State Department introduced a new plan for distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza at the beginning of the month, under which a newly established non-governmental organization under the auspices of the US, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), would be responsible for this.

Aid would be distributed from several centers in the enclave, managed by American companies, and protected by private security services and Israeli forces. This would replace humanitarian organizations that mostly operate under the auspices of the United Nations.

GHF is expected to start delivering aid to Gaza today, although it is still unknown whether this will actually happen. (May 26)