As a matter of moral concern for people who suffer due to war, I condone humanitarian aid to the families living in the Gaza Strip.
As a matter of factual concern, I do not support providing a terrorist organization with a tool that allows that organization to continue to control a population. In the case of Hamas in Gaza, humanitarian aid is such a tool, allowing Hamas to determine who (or which family) receives the aid. Those who provide such aid are empowering the terrorist organization Hamas to continue to control the fate of the people who reside in the Gaza Strip.Also, who is responsible for disseminating the humanitarian aid to the recipients? This responsible organization is UNWRA. UNRWA was established by UN Member States in 1949 to carry out direct relief and development programmes for Palestinian people who lost their homes following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.I was born in 1949. I am now 76 years old. Any person who lost their home in 1949 would probably be 96 years old (or older) in this year (2025). These are the people who lost their homes. Approximately 750,000 total population. If we work these numbers, we find this to mean 375,000 couples. If these couples each have 3 children, then the family size is 5, so the average could be 150,000 families with homes.
Now, however, before the October 7, 2023 incursion that started the destruction of the Gaza Strip, the population of the Gaza Strip has become several million people. If the population of the Gaza Strip has increased to 4.5 million people and I again utilize a family of 5 for each household, then the number of households has increased to 900,000. Most of these households do not include any individual who lost a home in 1948.
The next three paragraphs are copied directly from the UNHCR website.
History of the 1951 Refugee Convention
In the aftermath of the First World War (1914 - 1918), millions of people fled their homelands in search of refuge. Governments responded by drawing up a set of international agreements to provide travel documents for these people who were, effectively, the first recognized refugees of the 20th century. Their numbers increased dramatically during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), as millions more were forcibly displaced.
In response, the international community steadily assembled a set of guidelines, laws and conventions aimed at protecting the basic human rights and treatment of people forced to flee conflict and persecution.
The process, which began under the League of Nations in 1921, culminated in the 1951 Convention which consolidated and expanded on previous international instruments relating to refugees and continues to provide the most comprehensive codification of the rights of refugees at the international level.
So, people have been moving away from violence (or the threat of violence) since World War I. I believe that people have been moving out-of-the-way of violence & bloodshed for thousands of years, but I digress with that statement.
I have been told that the Palestinian Arab population in Gaza is not to be allowed to leave the Gaza Strip. I know this is not true, because many rich Palestinian Arabs from Gaza now live in Egypt or Qatar according to the world press corps.
I tried to find a source for this information, but have not been able to find a good source at the time I am writing. Maybe it isn't true. If the statement is true, then I have to wonder why. Why would a people be assigned to a place for refugees (according to UNWRA) and not be allowed to leave? Also, who decided this should be the case? Another question, how long is this containment supposed to last?
Humanitarian Aid to the Gaza Strip
What is Humanitarian Aid?
The European Union provides needs-based humanitarian assistance to the people hit by human-induced disasters and natural hazards with particular attention to the most vulnerable victims. Human-induced disasters might include war. Natural hazards are probably the result of immense fires, tsunamis, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, mudslides, or other natural disasters I did not list or consider.
I understand that at this time, when there is war between Hamas & Israel, the general population of Gaza is experiencing what can only be determined to be a human-induced disaster. Therefore, there is a great need for humanitarian aid for the civilian population.
The important questions have become: (1) who is the absolute civilian?, and, (2) who provides the aid?
Who is the Gaza Civilian
I have heard it said that if I voted for this government, and said government is determined to be bad for the people, then I am part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
What does that mean for the people of the Gaza Strip. How many of them voted for Hamas to be the government? If they voted for Hamas, aren't they part of the problem? That would certainly mean that at least the majority of the non-Hamas population is Hamas-affiliated. If they support Hamas they might not be actually considered "civilian". How can Hamas-affiliated-supporters be separated from non-Hamas-supporting civilians?
Rule 5.Non-international armed conflictsWhile State armed forces are not considered civilians, practice is not clear as to whether members of armed opposition groups are civilians subject to Rule 6 on loss of protection from attack in case of direct participation or whether members of such groups are liable to attack as such, independently of the operation of Rule 6. Although the military manual of Colombia defines the term civilians as “those who do not participate directly in military hostilities (internal conflict, international conflict)”, most manuals define civilians negatively with respect to combatants and armed forces and are silent on the status of members of armed opposition groups.
Who Provides the Aid
Do we think that one of the combatants would provide food & housing for the civilian population of the other combatant? According to International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC] the combatants are expected to allow the civilian population access to humanitarian aid necessary for subsistence.
Access for Humanitarian Relief to Civilians in Need
Rule 55. The parties to the conflict must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, which is impartial in character and conducted without any adverse distinction, subject to their right of control.
Summary
State practice establishes this rule as a norm of customary international law applicable in both international and non-international armed conflicts.
Non-international armed conflicts
...the UN Security Council called on all parties to armed conflicts “to ensure the full, safe and unhindered access of humanitarian personnel and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all children affected by armed conflicts”.[1] In another resolution adopted in 1999 on protection of civilians in armed conflicts, the UN Security Council expressed its concern at “the denial of safe and unimpeded access to people in need” and underlined “the importance of safe and unhindered access of humanitarian personnel to civilians in armed conflicts”.[2]...
[1] UN Security Council, Res. 1261 (Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 23, § 464)[2] UN Security Council, Res. 1265 (ibid., § 466)
Consent
...require the consent of the parties concerned for relief actions to take place...such consent must not be refused on arbitrary grounds...While consent may not be withheld for arbitrary reasons, practice recognizes that the party concerned may exercise control over the relief action. In addition, humanitarian relief personnel must respect domestic law on access to territory and must respect the security requirements in force.
My Summary of the ICRC Humanitarian Aid Implementation
I have read a lot of information from this ICRC source, and what I understand is that neighboring countries must not impede, and are expected (not required) to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population, and that the combatants should not arbitrarily deny access to humanitarian aid.
What Does All This Mean
- It is clear there are two combatants in this conflict in the Gaza Strip. Hamas and Israel. It is a non-international armed conflict according to the ICRC.
- It is unclear what the status of armed & hostile population not affiliated with, yet supporting Hamas. Are these actually civilians or are they some form of aggressive militia that can be seen as a third combatant?
- It is clear that humanitarian aid should not be impeded to the civilian population.
My Opinion Overall Concerning the Combat in the Gaza Strip
This fight is between Hamas & Israel. Non-international. There is no Nation of Gaza. If a civilian picks up a weapon to fight Israeli troops, they become a combatant, regardless of whether they belong to Hamas or not. Those who instigate violence through speech are also combatants because their words & actions foment more conflict and destruction.
Humanitarian Aid to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip is sorely needed. It should be provided by international or private organizations and should accessed by private caravan through either Egypt or Israel. Any required inspections should be allowed to assure that no munitions or combatant support enters the Gaza Strip. No person who engages in combat (verbal or physical) is eligible to receive humanitarian support. No humanitarian aid can be provided by charging the civilian population for receiving such aid. There should be no profiteering.
My Opinion Regarding UNWRA
The children of Gaza have been taught to intend the destruction of the Nation of Israel by the materials provided for education in schools supported by UNWRA. Due to the fomenting of hatred against the existence of the Nation of Israel—UNWRA is a violent and disruptive arm of the United Nations [UN] and should be defunded and disbanded.
