Gaza Gateway Stays Shut, Humanity Can Wait
Netanyahu’s office announced the continued closure of the Rafah crossing, effectively weaponizing humanitarian aid to demand the return of deceased hostages. This tactic of leveraging civilian suffering for political gain is hardly new; the blockade on Gaza itself has, since 2007, often been justified as a security measure, trapping millions in what human rights organizations routinely decry as an
open-air prison. The UN relief chief’s pleas for 'massive humanitarian support' are met with a deaf ear, as the Israeli government prioritizes bargaining chips over basic survival. One might wonder at what point international law becomes mere suggestion when a civilian population faces manufactured famine. How many 'conditions' does a governing power get to impose on a besieged population before
it’s simply collective punishment, plain and simple? The humanitarian crisis they cite, they also control.