Israel Bans 37 Aid Groups While US Senators Praise 'Humanitarian Efforts'
According to The New Arab, Israel began 2026 by banning 37 aid agencies from Gaza and intensifying demolitions. This comes after 2024 and 2025 where warnings from the UN and aid organizations about an impending famine were consistently ignored or dismissed by Israeli officials. The pattern isn't new; historical records show similar restrictions on aid during previous bombardments of Gaza in
2008-09 and 2014, making clear this isn't a new strategy, but a sustained policy. One might wonder at the timing, as Congressional voting records show a clear pattern: politicians who take significant donations from pro-Israel lobbying groups like AIPAC (which funneled $27.9 million to candidates in 2022, per OpenSecrets.org) consistently vote for aid packages to Israel with few, if any,
humanitarian conditions. Critics argue this raises questions about how concerned these same politicians truly are when aid gets blocked. How many times can a 'commitment to humanitarian aid' be declared while aid is actively prevented?