Militarization of Aid in Gaza

Aziz Samir and his fellow medics (photo taken by Aziz Samir).

Part one of the Reports from Gaza series

[Editor's note: These are the writings of Aziz Samir, a medic and political activist currently operating within the besieged Gaza Strip. Medical personnel in this situation are overworked, undersupplied, and lack proper facilities due to the extensive Israeli bombing. The complete breakdown of the economy in Gaza has forced Samir and many other medics to work as volunteers with no pay. The relentless Israeli assault is the main deterrent to establishing a proper system of medical care within Gaza.]

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Militarization of Aid in Gaza: Control Under the Guise of Humanitarianism

Amid the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, Israel has increasingly pursued a policy of militarizing humanitarian aid. This means that the entry and distribution of aid — including food, medicine, and water — are subjected to direct military oversight and restrictions. This policy is not merely about security; it is a calculated strategy to exert control over an already besieged population.

What Does Militarization of Aid Mean?

Militarization of aid refers to turning humanitarian assistance into a tool of political and military control. In the context of Gaza, this involves:

• Screening and limiting aid shipments at military-controlled crossings.

• Coordinating with specific intermediaries that are monitored or aligned with Israeli interests.

• Delaying or rationing aid deliveries according to political or military considerations.

• Banning critical supplies under vague “security” pretexts.

Israel’s Objectives Behind This Policy

Israel’s strategy in militarizing aid seeks to achieve several goals:

1. Tightening Control: By turning access to aid into a privilege rather than a right, Israel maintains control over every aspect of daily life in Gaza.

2. Weakening Popular Resistance: By exhausting people in a daily struggle for survival, it aims to reduce their ability to organize or resist.

3. Creating Dependency: The population becomes dependent on limited aid that only arrives through channels approved by the occupier.

4. Managing International Perception: Israel can claim to be allowing aid for “humanitarian” reasons while actually using it as leverage.

Impact on Gaza’s Population

This policy has had severe consequences for civilians:

• Hunger and Health Crisis: Delayed or restricted food and medicine have worsened malnutrition, especially among children, and increased preventable diseases.

• Daily Humiliation: People wait for hours for trucks that may never arrive, and when they do, the supplies are often insufficient.

• Social Fragmentation: Unfair or politicized distribution of aid fuels tensions within communities.

• Psychological Distress: When survival depends on the decision of a soldier at a checkpoint, a person’s dignity and sense of security are destroyed.

Conclusion

Militarizing humanitarian aid is not a neutral act — it is a form of collective punishment and psychological warfare. What is happening in Gaza is not only a violation of international humanitarian law but also a deep moral failure by the global community.

-Aziz Samir

"The people of Gaza do not ask for conditional charity. They demand freedom, justice, and dignity — the same rights every human being deserves."

-Quote by journalist Abdul Aziz Al-Najjar

A Day in the Life of Aziz Samir

[Editor's note: This is a more personal excerpt from Samir's journal.]

Today was just another difficult day in the camp

Life here is getting harder every single day

Everything is expensive now

Food water medicine

Even the most basic things are difficult to find or afford

I had to wake up early to stand in line for water

I waited for hours under the  hot sun and when it was finally my turn there was barely any water left

Sometimes we come back empty handed

There is no safety anymore

Theft is everywhere

People are scared and desperate

Just yesterday someone was killed near our area

Maybe for food maybe for money I don't even know

But I know that we don't feel safe anymore not during the day not at night

A lot of people take advantage of this situation

Prices are high

Some people hoard supplies and sell them at double the price

It is not fair but this is how things are now

Poverty is all around us

Everyone is just trying to survive in any way they can

I have a lot on my shoulders

My father is sick and old and I take care of him

I help him eat move take his medicine

I can't leave him alone he needs me all the time

I do everything I can for him not just because I have to but because I love him

He means everything to me 😭

At the same time I try to help others in the camp whenever I 😭 can

Even if it is just a small thing

Giving someone bread

Carrying water for someone

Checking on a neighbor

These small things matter 😭

They remind me that we are still human even in this painful situation

Sometimes I ask myself how much more we can take

How long will this last 😭

But I try to stay strong because giving up is not an option 😭

I keep going for my father for myself for the people around me ❤️

Tomorrow I will wake up again

And I will do my best again

😭

-Aziz

A Short Autobiography of Aziz Samir

I am 33 years old and since I graduated 13 years ago I have been trying to improve my skills and gain experience in all fields. Before the war, I was preparing to take the TOEFL exam in English. My goals and ambitions were to get a job opportunity in one of the European Union countries and study for a master's degree and then a doctorate.

In 2021, I traveled to Egypt and then to Türkiye in an attempt to obtain asylum in Greece or Belgium, but I hesitated to risk the sea on the death boats, so my attempts were unsuccessful and I returned to Gaza. My story is just one among thousands, told by people who are simply trying to have their voices heard and their humanity seen.

Since the beginning of the war, I have dedicated myself to serving people. I volunteered in the reception department at Nasser Hospital and made a great effort to continue my humanitarian work despite all the difficulties and challenges. I was displaced since the first day of the war because my house was close to the border and was a source of danger. Then the entire four-story house was bombed, carrying with it years of memories and happy and family situations.

After that, I was subjected to displacement from one area to another more than once, escaping the bombing and death, once in shelter schools, once in worn-out tents, and once on the beach under the winter rains, sea humidity, summer heat, and the spread of diseases. I was injured while trying to save a child, but thank God it was a minor injury and I recovered.

My father was shot by a sniper while he was searching for firewood to light a fire. This resulted in the removal of his left kidney and part of his colon. He is now bedridden and needs intensive medical care. My brother was arrested at the occupation checkpoints. We don't know anything about him yet. I suffered a lot to provide for my family and take care of my father in light of war, fear, hunger, displacement, poverty and siege, but all of that did not deter me or make me stop continuing my humanitarian work.

Here in Gaza, we live under constant siege — not only from the physical bombs and blockade, but from a global system that sees our lives as expendable. While Israel presses the trigger, the United States supplies the weapon, the funding, and the political cover. Every time a home is destroyed or a child is killed, it’s not just an act of occupation — it’s a reflection of an imperialist system that protects its interests at any cost, especially when those costs are borne by people in the Global South. Many in the West still don’t understand this. They see the destruction, but not the deeper structure that allows it to continue.

What we are facing is not just military aggression — it’s a system of control designed to keep us weak, voiceless, and dependent. It’s colonialism repackaged: the borders may have changed, but the logic remains. We know that Gaza is not just about Gaza; if Israel succeeds in silencing us, in normalizing this level of violence, then the same tactics will be used elsewhere, against other people who dare to resist domination. That’s why we see our resistance as a duty not just to ourselves, but to every oppressed community in the world.

And yet, despite everything, we are still here. Still breathing. Still telling our stories. That, in itself, is resistance. Please keep questioning, keep sharing, and keep talking to us. Every connection we make is one more crack in the wall they’ve tried so hard to build between our worlds.

[Editor's note: Many have alluded to the events in Gaza is a shared struggle due to the implications for the entire world. As Samir points out, if Israel is allowed to ethnically cleanse Gaza, it will set an alarming new precedent for what governments will be to get away with in the future.]