All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

The Most Courageous People — They’re Going Back | Filosofa’s Word

When I wrote about the killing of seven members of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian aid group in Gaza in early April, I wasn’t sure if WCK would return to Gaza or not.  The attack by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was brutal and inexcusable, for IDF was in communication with the WCK convoy and knew their exact location, but instead of protecting them, they attacked.  At the time, WCK founder Chef José Andrés said they would pause their operations in Gaza immediately and make decisions about any future return, so I really wasn’t sure what the decision would be.

On April 30th, Chef Andrés announced their decision to return to Gaza in an OpEd letter in The Washington Post:

Our decision to resume feeding in Gaza is both the hardest and the simplest one we could make.

Hardest because barely a month has passed since Israeli forces killed seven of our World Central Kitchen family, despite knowing their location, movements and the nature of their essential work. Our colleagues risked everything to feed people they did not know.

Yet it’s a simple decision for us because the need is so great. We cannot stand by while so many people are so desperate for the essentials of life. Food is a universal human right, and we will not cease until those basic human rights are respected.

This week, we are restarting our operations at scale: We have 276 trucks, representing almost 8 million meals, ready to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing in the south. We are also sending trucks from Jordan as we push to distribute food into northern Gaza, where the situation is most dire.

These convoys will be met by our partners in Gaza. The vast majority of our work around the world is done by locals, not by international staff: Ukrainians feeding in Ukraine, Moroccans feeding Moroccans, and, in Gaza, Palestinians feeding Palestinians.

But we are returning to Gaza with what is at best a limited understanding of how humanitarian aid workers will be protected in the coming weeks and months.

We expect and insist that the Israel Defense Forces protect and respect the lives and work of our Palestinian team members, just like citizens from other nations.

That sort of treatment has been rare since we have been in the region. For example, though every team member is vetted and cleared before every food delivery mission, our Palestinian team members have been stripped and humiliated by Israeli soldiers while engaged in work that has been coordinated with, and approved by, the IDF.

Our convoys have been held up at IDF checkpoints for hours on end, despite coordination with the Israeli government groups who run point on humanitarian aid.

Those delays create crowds desperate to receive food, add to the food panic and push our missions into nightfall, dramatically increasing the dangers faced by our aid workers.

After the April 1 attack, the IDF issued general statements about improving communication between aid groups such as ours and its own military operators. We welcome those statements, as we welcome the increase in aid that is now flowing into Gaza.

But the communication failures inside the IDF continue. There are multiple reports of other convoys coming under fire since April 1, signaling that little has changed to increase protection.

The biggest challenge is the one the Netanyahu government has failed to address. Without law and order on the ground in Gaza, there is a constant threat to civilians around any food aid. Humanitarian groups have very limited means to establish security to protect our own workers — or the civilians we are trying to help.

The IDF cannot police Gaza through airstrikes, faulty intelligence, AI-enhanced analysis and dismal communications.

As we resume operations, we need to see Israeli forces step up to their responsibilities and promises to let humanitarian groups do their work. We expect the IDF to develop, communicate and deliver clear safety protocols and measures for humanitarian aid workers across Gaza immediately.

These should include reliable, direct and secure communications with aid workers on the ground, live tracking of aid convoys, clear lists of deconflicted zones, and approval for international media to report on our operations.

We expect the IDF to abide by its own protocols, chain of command, laws of war and moral values. We expect it to do a better job of communicating with itself. We expect the IDF to cooperate with an independent investigation into airstrikes on our own team. Details continue to leak about the airstrikes, and the IDF has yet to hand over its own evidence to us for review.

We also expect the Biden administration to hold the Netanyahu government true to its commitments on humanitarian aid.

If the Israeli government cannot or will not fully explain how it will protect humanitarian aid workers in Gaza, it can at least do one thing. May 12 is Yom Hazikaron — the day of remembrance — in Israel. It’s a solemn day when the sirens sound, life comes to a halt, and people remember those who have died in war and as victims of terrorism.

This day of remembrance will be a heavy one. There is too much suffering in Palestine, in Israel and across the Middle East. The hostages need to be freed by Hamas; a cease-fire needs to begin.

My hope and my prayer are that the names of our seven heroes will be remembered and mourned in Israel, as they are in Gaza, Britain, Canada, Australia and Poland.

Sharing our grief is as human as sharing our food. It’s a small step toward healing and hope in a world that desperately needs both.

My hat is off to all those courageous people who will be returning to Gaza to help feed the hungry … these are true humanitarians like no other.  I fervently hope that they will remain safe and return in due time to their homes and families.  Thank you Chef Andrés and everyone involved in this effort … the world is a better place because of you. Keep safe and know that our hearts are with you.

Source: The Most Courageous People — They’re Going Back | Filosofa’s Word

World Press Freedom Day: Jamaica moves up the ranks, UNESCO reports on environmental journalists – Petchary’s Blog

Today (May 3) was World Press Freedom Day. We are delighted that Jamaica has moved up a number of places in the annual index, according to Reporters Without Borders. Jamaica is now 24th on the index of 180 countries, up eight places from 2023 and the highest in the Caribbean region. We must be doing something right. Our (currently somewhat beleaguered) Government was quick to embrace and announce the good news. Information Minister Robert Morgan shared this chart on social media:

Source: World Press Freedom Day: Jamaica moves up the ranks, UNESCO reports on environmental journalists – Petchary’s Blog