Urgent Objection to Israeli-Controlled Aid Mechanism and Appeal to Reinstate UNRWA’s Full Humanitarian Mandate in Gaza

Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations ( MAPIM )
azmiabdulhamid58@gmail.com
……………………………………………….

Date: April 9, 2025

To:
His Excellency António Guterres
Secretary-General
United Nations
United Nations Headquarters
New York, NY 10017, USA

Dear Sir

Subject: Urgent Objection to Israeli-Controlled Aid Mechanism and Appeal to Reinstate UNRWA’s Full Humanitarian Mandate in Gaza

Your Excellency,

I am writing to you with urgency and grave concern in light of recent developments regarding the proposed Israeli mechanism to control and distribute humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. As outlined in Press Statement No. 788 issued by the Government Media Office in Gaza, this mechanism entails the direct involvement of Israeli military forces or private entities affiliated with the occupation in the distribution of aid—a proposal that is both ethically indefensible and legally unsound.

Such a mechanism fundamentally violates the core principles of humanitarian action—neutrality, impartiality, independence, and humanity. Moreover, it contravenes the obligations of the occupying power under international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the use of humanitarian aid as a means of coercion or collective punishment.

The people of Gaza have endured over 18 years of suffocating siege and are currently facing catastrophic humanitarian conditions, with more than 2.4 million civilians—including over one million children—at risk of famine, disease, and displacement. The obstruction of aid, combined with the imposition of politicized distribution methods, is exacerbating an already dire crisis.

We therefore urge the United Nations to:

1. Categorically reject the Israeli-controlled aid mechanism and publicly affirm that such a proposal undermines the neutrality and safety of humanitarian operations.
2. Reinstate and strengthen the role of UNRWA and other UN humanitarian agencies in overseeing and managing the delivery of aid within Gaza.
3. Call on donor countries not to route humanitarian assistance through any mechanism that compromises impartiality or subjects Palestinian civilians to further harm and indignity.
4. Ensure the safe, unrestricted, and dignified flow of humanitarian aid through internationally recognized and neutral channels, in accordance with international law and long-established UN standards.

The credibility of the international community’s commitment to humanitarian law and human rights is being tested. We call upon the United Nations to act decisively and urgently to prevent further erosion of these principles and to protect the lives and dignity of Palestinian civilians under occupation.

Yours faithfully,

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President MAPIM