In the heart of Gaza’s devastation, what should be a lifeline—humanitarian aid—is increasingly being used as a calculated tool of surveillance and submission. As famine deepens and border crossings remain closed, “Israel” insists on introducing new mechanisms for aid delivery, mechanisms that international and Palestinian observers warn are designed not to save lives, but to control and displace.

Since the beginning of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has manipulated the entry of food and medicine, turning it into a strategy of pressure and punishment. More than two months into a total blockade, 2.4 million Palestinians are facing hunger so extreme that it meets the international definition of famine—yet instead of facilitating access, Israel is tightening its grip.

In coordination with the United States, the Israeli military is constructing so-called “humanitarian centres” within Gaza, where aid is to be distributed once a week under the watch of a private American firm. These facilities are far from civilian areas and under direct military control—raising concerns that they are less about relief and more about forced displacement. UN officials have warned that this setup not only violates humanitarian principles, but actively endangers both civilians and aid workers by drawing them into militarised zones.

According to human rights experts, this is not aid—it is coercion. By making food conditional on movement, surveillance, and submission, the Israeli occupation aims to fragment Gaza’s population into isolated enclaves, weakening resistance and sowing despair. Reports suggest that this could lead to further emigration, emptying large neighbourhoods under the pretext of relief.

Despite international condemnation—including warnings from the UN and the International Court of Justice—Israel continues to ignore legal obligations, blocking aid, rejecting neutrality, and replacing humanitarian channels with military ones. The message is clear: survival in Gaza now depends not on need, but on compliance.

What should have been a bridge to dignity is being turned into a trap. And as families starve, the world must decide whether to stand by while hunger becomes another frontline in Gaza’s suffering.