Fake show of care in Gaza fools no one

After the US leader's trip to the Middle East earlier this month, with the connivance of the US administration, Israel has markedly escalated its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which includes the bombing of refugee camps, hospitals and schools where it claims Hamas fighters are hiding.

Since Israel resumed its intensified military campaign on March 18, at least 3,901 Palestinians have been killed and 11,088 others injured, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 54,056, with a total of 123,129 people injured, Gaza's health authorities said on Tuesday. This happened despite the strong opposition of the international community.

The increasingly grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza has prompted even some US allies and partners, including the European Union, to condemn Israel's attacks and urge Tel Aviv to lift its blockade of Gaza and allow immediate, safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid.

While reiterating Germany's historical responsibility toward Israel, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that his country must be restrained in giving public advice to Israel. But when red lines are crossed and international humanitarian law is violated, Germany must also speak out.

Other EU leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas have also condemned Israel's ruthless attacks on civilians in Gaza, urging it to allow the Palestinians to have access to humanitarian aid.

However, with the steadfast support of the US administration, which apparently seeks to leverage Israel to advance its overall Middle East agenda, Tel Aviv chooses to turn a deaf ear to the righteous call of the world. Citing Hamas' Oct 7 attacks two years ago, Tel Aviv continues to try and justify its "retaliatory" operations, labeling any party not in support of its moves as siding with "evil".

The three-phase ceasefire process that both the former and incumbent US administrations took credit for has proved a failure. Instead of exerting its special influence on Tel Aviv, Washington not only continues providing Israel with financial and military support, but also proposes some radical "solutions", including relocating the Palestinians in Gaza to Libya.

The collusion between the US and Israel over the Gaza situation is evident. By assuming the role assigned to it by the US in exchange for the latter's support, Israel moves closer to its goal of annexing the Palestinian territory, which is only one part of its overall plan of expanding "buffer zones "in all directions. Israel's expansion to the Golan Heights of Syria, to the border region with Lebanon and to the West Bank all occurred under the guise of retaliation against Hamas and its backers in the region.

With the support of the international community, including the EU, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently put forward a five-stage aid plan for Gaza, which covers inspection and scanning of relief supplies at crossings, transport to humanitarian facilities, onward distribution and delivery to those in need.

Yet instead of heeding the rational suggestion of the UN chief and in a bid to fend off the international pressure against its weaponizing of hunger, a so-called aid organization backed by the US and Israel has reportedly started distributing relief supplies in Gaza. But as a UN spokesperson said, that is distracting attention from what is actually needed.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said at a news briefing on Tuesday that the UN is not involved in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operations in Gaza, and what is truly needed is the reopening of all crossing points into Gaza. He also called for the establishment of a secure environment in Gaza and urged faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals for all emergency supplies awaiting entry into Gaza.

As UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said, the Israel-designed distribution scheme makes humanitarian aid conditional on political and military objectives and uses starvation as a bargaining chip.

Israel and the US should stop such a fake show of care that only makes their "pro-peace" stance more hypocritical and their true purposes more barefaced.

If peace and safety are Tel Aviv's objectives as it claims, it should stop using war and hunger to encroach on Palestinian land, which will only exacerbate hatred and animosity and pass them to future generations.