ICSPR Warns Against U.S.-Israeli Aid Plan in Gaza: Militarization of Relief and Continuation of Genocide Against Palestinians

Date: 28 May 2025

Humanitarian Appeal

ICSPR Warns Against U.S.-Israeli Aid Plan in Gaza: Militarization of Relief and Continuation of Genocide Against Palestinians

In an urgent briefing note, the International Commission to Support Palestinian People’s Rights (ICSPR) has warned of the grave risks and humanitarian and legal consequences of the U.S.-Israeli plan for distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. The Commission affirmed that this plan is nothing more than a new instrument to continue the systematic genocide and forced displacement of Palestinians. The note was sent to the UN Secretary-General, the UN Special Envoy, the President of the Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, to inform them of the ongoing violations and to urge urgent action for accountability and compliance with international humanitarian law.

At the outset of the memorandum, the Commission confirmed that the Gaza Strip is witnessing one of the most horrific genocides in modern history, despite the ceasefire agreement signed between Hamas and the Israeli occupation authorities in January 2025. This agreement included explicit commitments to open humanitarian crossings and allow the entry of aid, including mobile homes and the start of reconstruction. However, Israel flagrantly breached the agreement, blocked the entry of food, medical supplies, and shelter, and refused to negotiate the second phase of the deal. On 2 March 2025, Israel shut all Gaza crossings for 80 consecutive days, deepening the humanitarian crisis, spreading famine and disease. On 18 March 2025, it resumed military aggression, leading to the killing of 3,822 people, the injury of 10,925 others, and the mass forced displacement of civilians, while Israeli forces seized 70% of Gaza’s territory — in a clear attempt to reproduce a new Nakba.

The note emphasized that Gaza has been subjected to a full-scale genocidal war since 7 October 2023, targeting every aspect of life. Residential neighborhoods, hospitals, and shelters have been bombed systematically, women and children’s bodies burned, and infrastructure completely destroyed, with the population deprived of food and clean water.

According to ICSPR, the total number of victims has reached 65,000 martyrs, including 18,000 children and 13,000 women, with 14,000 missing under the rubble and around 40,000 children orphaned. It accused Israel of weaponizing starvation and thirst by denying the entry of aid for over 81 days, bombing 29 charity kitchens, 38 food distribution centers, and destroying 719 water wells. At least 58 people, including more than 50 children, died from hunger and dehydration. UNICEF estimates that 10,000 infants require urgent feeding, while the IPC has classified Gaza as entering Phase 5 of famine, putting 71,000 children and 17,000 mothers at imminent risk of death due to malnutrition.

The memo also noted that Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing and destroyed the Rafah crossing, preventing the entry of more than 44,000 aid trucks, although Gaza needs over 500 trucks of aid and 50 fuel trucks per day. Only 1% of the daily aid needs were allowed in.

ICSPR documented the forced displacement of approximately two million Palestinians from northern Gaza to the south, with direct targeting of shelters and tents and denial of basic living conditions. It further highlighted the unprecedented destruction of infrastructure, including the demolition of 88% of homes and civilian properties, 655,000 meters of sewage networks, 330,000 meters of water pipes, and over 2,835,000 meters of roads, as well as widespread destruction of schools and hospitals.

Against this backdrop, the memo revealed the emergence of a new plan spearheaded by the U.S. and Israel under the guise of “humanitarian aid,” but with the real goal of forcibly displacing the population. A company called the “Gaza Relief Organization” was established in Geneva three months ago to replace international humanitarian institutions. Under the false pretense of preventing Hamas from controlling aid, the organization aims to profit from donations and oversee the distribution of limited calorie-based aid via four centers, targeting just one million people in its initial phase. Three of these centers are based in Rafah near the Mirage axis to transfer civilians from central and southern Gaza to Rafah, and the fourth near the Netzarim axis to relocate residents of northern Gaza — effectively engineering a demographic and geographic transformation, while simultaneously banning international humanitarian agencies and silencing criticism of Israel’s starvation policy.

The memorandum linked the plan to “Gideon Vehicles”, a military strategy approved by Israel on 4 May 2025, aimed at controlling civilian movement through buffer zones and camps. This setup allows the Israeli army unrestricted operational freedom elsewhere while confining aid access to a so-called “humanitarian zone” in the south.

It further revealed that the plan was crafted in secret meetings between American and Israeli officials as part of the “Mekveh Israel Forum” since late 2023, culminating in the delegation of aid distribution tasks to private firms without UN oversight. A new body called the “Humanitarian Foundation Gaza” was created in 2025, funded indirectly by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and managed by American security personnel. Among its main operational partners is Blackwater, infamous for its atrocities in Iraq.

The memo listed several companies involved in the implementation of the plan:

• Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), led by former CIA officer Philip Reilly, is tied to Blackwater and specializes in preparing conflict zones for U.S. intervention.

• Blackwater (Constellis), notorious for its involvement in war crimes including the 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.

• Kogan Group – Intelligence Consulting, allegedly linked to the Mossad, and run by former military intelligence officer Ran Kogan. It manages field control of camps inside Gaza alongside the Gideon plan and provides security for logistics hubs.

ICSPR warned that this plan entails catastrophic consequences. Chief among them is the legalization of forced displacement, by tying aid access to physical presence in pre-defined “humanitarian zones” under strict security screening. This weaponization of aid not only isolates the population but redraws Gaza’s demographic map to serve Zionist goals.

The plan also undermines the role of the United Nations and UNRWA, turning humanitarian relief into a political instrument run by private security contractors with notorious human rights records. It legitimizes long-term occupation by creating semi-permanent “safe zones” and transferring the administrative burden from the occupier to security firms — a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

The centers themselves would operate like military checkpoints, collecting biometric data (facial and iris scans), requiring in-person attendance with no allowances for representation, and increasing the risk of detention and interrogation, especially for families of martyrs.

Additionally, the plan aims to geographically divide Gaza into north and south by systematically eliminating northern populations and entrenching military control over 70% of the territory. It enforces collective punishment by prioritizing aid to certain areas over others, creating humanitarian apartheid that discriminates against vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, elderly, orphans, and people with disabilities — in clear violation of neutrality and equality principles.

In conclusion, ICSPR stated that the U.S.-Israeli aid plan is a militarized scheme designed to entrench displacement and forcibly ghettoize Palestinians, ultimately forcing them to emigrate. The plan also seeks to undermine and eliminate the role of UNRWA as part of a wider effort to liquidate the Palestinian cause.

While the United Nations and major humanitarian organizations have rejected the plan for violating international norms and the Sphere Standards, ICSPR issued the following urgent appeals:

• To reject the plan in its current security-oriented form, deeming it a flagrant violation of IHL and UN resolutions.

• To urge the UN Security Council and General Assembly to take an immediate unified stance, demanding that crossings be opened under UN supervision to ensure free access for humanitarian actors, especially UNRWA.

• To call on all states and donors not to cooperate with entities managed by human rights-violating security firms.

• To encourage humanitarian NGOs to strengthen independent responses and directly engage with affected communities without interference from the occupation.

• To support international investigations into genocide and starvation crimes, and hold perpetrators accountable, including states, individuals, and companies.

• To request that UN Special Rapporteurs launch an investigation into the privatization of humanitarian aid in Gaza and its broader political and security implications.

ICSPR concluded by reaffirming that genuine commitment to justice and dignity requires firm international opposition to this militarized aid agenda and swift action to stop the genocide and ensure the unrestricted flow of sufficient humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The organization also called for economic boycotts, sanctions, and legal accountability for Israel’s war crimes, and condemned any policy that deepens the occupation or perpetuates the ongoing Palestinian Nakba.

Any continued silence or tacit approval of this plan amounts to complicity in genocide and constitutes a grave threat to the foundations of international law.