Israel, please let aid organisations do our jobs in Gaza : James Elder / The Guardian

Article shared by Tom McDermott

This is the first time I can recall an article a UNICEF spokesperson appearing in a major newspaper.  Let's hope James' message is heard, not just in Israel and in the countries supporting its war in Gaza, but also by other news media who continue to pass over the story.  

The Guardian
Click here for the article

Summary
James Elder, UNICEF's global spokesperson, delivers a searing eyewitness account from Gaza, urging Israel to allow UN and aid agencies to resume full-scale humanitarian operations. The piece centers on the death of 13-year-old Abed Al Rahman, gravely wounded by shrapnel while trying to collect food from a militarized aid site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Elder condemns the GHF model—privately run and guarded by Israeli soldiers—as unsafe, inadequate, and dehumanizing. He describes the surge in child malnutrition and mass casualties at distribution points, contrasting the current chaos with the efficient UN-led distribution system during the previous ceasefire. The article ends with a stark call to return to proven, coordinated aid efforts and to stop politicizing famine relief.

Quotes
– “This is not how you avert famine.”
– “A system that bypasses the UN has, in fact, bypassed humanity.”
– “Children need nutritious food at scale, safety, clean water and dignity. Not security operators. Not indiscriminate fire. Not chaos.”
– “There have been more than 50,000 children reported killed or injured in 20 months. Fifty thousand.”
– “Even though I almost died, I would go again... I wish to die with a full stomach, not from starvation.”