UN: Israel's plan to deliver aid to Gaza's population 'does not meet' humanitarian standards

A UN spokesperson has sounded the alarm and warned that Israel's plan to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza's population "does not meet the minimum bar for principled humanitarian support."

"It will not deliver aid to people in need based on independent needs assessments – the globally tested and donor-demanded minimum requirement," according to a statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"As the Secretary-General has made clear, the UN will not engage in any arrangement that fails to uphold the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.

"Concerns over the risk of aid diversion – for which no further evidence has been provided – cannot justify the shutdown of a life-saving humanitarian operation.

"The UN is confident that, as a result of strict monitoring systems put in place by the UN and its partners, no major diversion of the aid over which it has oversight has occurred."