US consulting firm 'presented plan to Israeli govt' to facilitate aid deliveries for Gaza

A US national security consulting firm recently presented to the Israeli government a study on how to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries to war-torn Gaza, Axios reported on Wednesday citing two Israeli officials.

Sources familiar with said the company Orbis had presented a feasibility study about how Tel Aviv can send aid to Gaza.

Orbis had proposed a pilot project to establish a humanitarian aid hub in a part of the besieged and battered enclave which was cleared by Israeli forces and not under Hamas control, the report said.

The hub would be established by a private aid organisation rather than the UN, with which Israel has had strained relations throughout the war on Gaza, particularly after Israel banned the UN's Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.

The hub would be secured by private contractors coordinating with the Israeli military, according to Axios.

The study, according to the Israeli officials who spoke to Axios, was sent to Israel's defence ministry and the premier's office.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss it with several of his cabinet ministers and the military and Mossad chiefs.

The project, as suggested by Orbis' plan, could be funded by donor countries. Israeli officials reportedly mentioned the United Arab Emirates, which has had strong diplomatic and economic ties with Israel since 2020.

It would be a temporary plan until a permanent and more comprehensive strategy is adopted post-war, one of the sources told Axios.

In a statement to the news website, Orbis said it would not play any role on the ground in Gaza.

Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip in the early stages of the war which erupted on 7 October last year, and its hardline government has been accused of hampering desperately needed aid deliveries into the Palestinian enclave.

This has led to a catastrophic humanitarian situation that has seen children starve to death and people eat leaves, especially in northern Gaza which has been put under a full siege for over a month.

On Tuesday, the UN chief denounced the "systematic" looting of humanitarian aid in Gaza, a day after the territory's Hamas authorities said 20 people were killed in a security operation targeting such actions.

Aid distribution in Gaza has been hampered by Israel, with severe shortages of fuel, war-damaged roads and looting on the rise, as well as heavy bombardment in densely populated areas and the repeated displacement of much of the territory's population of over 2 million.