Israeli NGO works behind the scenes to coordinate aid to Gazan civilians

An Israeli nongovernmental organization is working behind the scenes to provide a critical link between the Israeli military and international organizations with one goal in mind: Get humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.

"We really became this informal connector and facilitator between the Israeli authorities and the humanitarian community," IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer said.

IsraAID has worked in 64 countries and is currently the largest humanitarian organization based out of Israel. 

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Polizer says there is broad consensus now that a concerning humanitarian level was reached in Gaza with pockets of malnutrition across the strip. He notes that it isn't only food that is needed by the civilian population, but also medicine, water and nutritional provisions.

"When we reach severe malnutrition levels, we know that just rice and flour is not going to solve the problem," Polizer added. "We need nutritional supplements, we need people to get protein." 

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For nearly five months, there was no consistent flow of aid. That has changed in recent weeks with thousands of trucks being distributed along with airdrops of supplies to civilians. Recently, the entry of commercial trucks was partially approved.

"The declared policy of Israel for two and a half months after the ceasefire collapsed was that nothing comes in," Polizer said. "That was the policy because the plan was to pressure Hamas."

The IsraAID CEO says the focus must be on saving lives, not on playing the "blame game." He urges the United Nations, the Israel Defense Forces, the  Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and all humanitarian organizations to work together and find solutions.

"As a humanitarian organization, the concept of 'do no harm' is really our Bible," Polizer added.

A few months after the war started, IsraAID started to receive requests from global humanitarian organizations they had worked with in Afghanistan and Ukraine, asking for help to facilitate aid deliveries to Gaza.

These groups had issues with customs clearance and approval from the Israeli military to deliver supplies to Palestinians in Gaza. These were problems IsraAID could help solve.

Despite the political and cultural differences, Polizer said the Jewish community of the United States is stepping up to donate and support finding solutions for the hunger crisis in Gaza.

"You can support the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but it does not mean you are anti-Israel," he concluded.