TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The UN once again strongly opposed Israel's plan to control aid shipments to the residents of Gaza in collaboration with a U.S. private security contractor.
During a press conference on Thursday, Farhan Haq responded to the unofficial guidance from the U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to the members of the UN Security Council a day earlier. He stated that the UN had not been "directly informed" about the guidance.
"I believe that this was something that individual members of the Security Council received a briefing on at the US mission yesterday. So, this was not an event at the United Nations," he said as quoted by Anadolu.
According to media reports on Wednesday, Witkoff focused on a new aid plan for Gaza proposed by the U.S. and Israel. The plan aims to send aid packages to individuals through a U.S. private security contractor.
Considering the UN's position on the delivery of humanitarian aid, Haq stated that "regarding what we've said about the information we've received from Israel about the scheme for the provision of supplies of Gaza. What they presented to us thus far appears designed to further control and restrict supplies down to the last calorie and the last grain of flour."
"The Secretary General has made it clear that the UN will not engage in any arrangement that fails to uphold the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality," he added.
In a separate statement, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that Washington is close to finding a mechanism to deliver food and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
“We are steps away from that solution, from being able to deliver the aid and the food,” Bruce told reporters at a daily press briefing as quoted by Anadolu.
“We welcome moves to quickly get urgent food aid into Gaza in a way that actually gets to those to whom it's intended. It cannot fall into the hands of terrorists.”
Bruce stated that the foundation will soon announce the implementation of the delivery plan. However, she refused to mention the group's name or provide details.
“While we don't have anything to announce in specifics in this regard today, and I will not speak on behalf of the foundation which will be doing the work ... We escort a plan to get aid in right now and urge others to do so as well,” she added.
“President Trump called for creative solutions that would secure peace, protect Israel and leave Hamas empty-handed and help Gazans,” she said. “Due to his inspirational leadership, we are steps away from that solution.”
The spokesperson criticized the UN's response, stating that “endless press releases and Hamas appeasement have not delivered food, medicine or shelter to those who need it.”
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