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Of the 20 points in Donald Trump’s peace plan, the one that provided the most relief for Palestinians was the one that stated that the “entry and distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties (Israel and Hamas) through the UN and its agencies.” Many have said to me that their greatest fear was not being bombed but to die a long, slow death by starvation or thirst.

The two phrases that mattered were “without interference” and “through the UN and its agencies.” Israel had fought to prevent the UN resuming its role in Gaza.

At no point since Israel’s blockade of Gaza was reinforced in 2007 has Israel allowed aid to enter the Strip without interference. And since October 2023, it has twice imposed a complete denial of all entry of aid, including food, water, fuel and medicines, into the Strip — restrictions only eased after international pressure.

Let’s be clear. Letting in aid is not a concession but a legal and moral obligation. No pats on the back should be forthcoming for letting aid into Gaza, not least when Palestinians were and still are being starved to death.

The opposite should be happening. Israel has punished Hamas for its inability to locate all the hostage bodies by reducing aid access into Gaza. Yet again, this is using starvation as a weapon of war and is entirely illegal. It punishes innocent Palestinians, not Hamas.

Has Israel stopped its interference? Not even close. The administrative and bureaucratic obstacles maintain a stranglehold.

This is why there has never been a day when 600 UN trucks have entered Gaza, the number that was agreed in the ceasefire deal.

The reentry of UN agencies into Gaza was also assumed to mean UNRWA. It was not mentioned by name but it is by far the largest, most effective distributor of aid in the Strip, as well as a provider of primary education and healthcare services.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio smashed any notion that UNRWA would be returning during his visit to Israel last week. Although Rubio praised the UN, he said: “UNRWA is not going to play any role in (providing aid),” as it was a “subsidiary of Hamas.” Two UN reports came to an entirely different conclusion. As a result of Israeli propaganda, innocent Palestinians will continue to suffer.

This also conflicts with last week’s International Court of Justice advisory opinion that determined Israel must allow UNRWA to operate and that, as the occupying power, Tel Aviv must provide for the humanitarian well-being of Palestinians in Gaza.

By denying aid, Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. It punishes innocent Palestinians, not Hamas

Chris Doyle

But it is not only UNRWA. Israel has introduced draconian registration procedures for aid agencies. Most have rejected them on the basis that they undermine their independence and impartiality, as well as jeopardize staff safety. More than 40 agencies issued a statement last week outlining how Israel has prevented them from delivering lifesaving aid.

Over the last two years, both the Biden and Trump administrations have, either at the behest of Israel or to bypass Israeli restrictions, indulged in a series of nonsensical projects to attempt to get aid into Gaza. First it was airdrops, the least effective way to deliver aid and which endangers life on the ground, while also landing up in the hands of the fittest and strongest, who can get to the aid first. And who can forget the disastrous floating pier project, which had to be abandoned?

But the most outrageous project was the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, introduced to kick out the tried and tested methods of aid delivery in favor of a militarized and securitized series of caged hubs that turned into kill zones for starving Palestinians. When the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation wound up its operations after the ceasefire, the humanitarian world joined Palestinians in heaving a collective sigh of relief.

But the US does not seem to have learned its lesson. Reportedly, consideration is being given to a so-called Gaza Humanitarian Belt, consisting of12 to 16 humanitarian hubs that would be situated along the yellow line in Gaza, behind which Israeli forces have withdrawn. These hubs would serve people on both sides of the line. This is no way to deliver aid to the most vulnerable, not least as the idea might also include these hubs acting as locations where militants can hand in their weapons.

All this is counterproductive to reinforcing a ceasefire and making it last. Palestinian buy-in to a process that has almost totally excluded their input may increase if proper access is secured. This should not just be for food and water, but everything including shelter at a time when winter is approaching. Those in urgent need of medical attention must be evacuated immediately. It should also mean letting in the heavy lifting equipment and machinery required to get rid of the rubble, along with experts in unexploded ordnance.

The US should focus its pressure on Israel opening up Gaza and getting in vital supplies at speed and scale. This is morally and legally the right thing to do — and it is pragmatic and achievable. It will alter the dynamics of the conflict.

• Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London. X: @Doylech