The United Nations’ top relief official has sharply criticised Israel’s aid delivery mechanism to Gaza, calling it a “cynical sideshow” masking broader displacement and suffering.
Speaking to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Tom Fletcher accused Israel of deliberately creating inhumane conditions for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
He urged Council members to consider how future generations would judge their response to what he called a “21st century atrocity” unfolding in Gaza.
Fletcher condemned Israel’s reported use of private US security contractors to control aid, arguing the system excludes vulnerable groups like the disabled, elderly, women, and children.
“It makes starvation a bargaining chip,” he said. “A fig leaf for further violence and displacement.”
He insisted the UN is prepared to resume large-scale humanitarian operations, stressing that strict safeguards are in place to prevent aid from reaching Hamas.
“But Israel denies us access,” Fletcher added. “They prioritise the depopulation of Gaza over the lives of civilians.”
He expressed outrage at Israeli officials’ public remarks on maintaining the blockade, questioning how the global community could remain passive.
Fletcher concluded with a plea for urgent, decisive action to prevent genocide and uphold international humanitarian law.
He said the time to act is now—before history records silence as complicity.