#04 Mercenaries for Human Rights
Journalists have now been exposing how American and Israeli businessmen lobbied to shut down international aid groups early in the genocide, pushing plans for private companies to take over ‘humanitarian’ work and make hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.
The mercenaries recruited for Trump’s Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reportedly make $1,100 per day for the “humanitarian mission” of distributing food in Gaza.
GHF’s distribution zones have become deathtraps. Dozens of Gazans have been killed, injured, or detained within the inhumane via dolorosa that starving people are forced to endure just to receive food. We also witnessed a justified response with the storming of American centers, along with widespread calls from Gazans to boycott them.
It is proof that these plans entail the weaponization of basic human needs for political and intelligence purposes.
The story of starvation in Gaza has two components.
The first — and most obvious — is the blocking or allowing of goods to enter. The second, less discussed, is how access to these basic needs is organized. How are the few available resources distributed? Who controls them, monopolizes them, and sets the prices? How can supplies be used without water, cooking gas, or electricity for storage?
These are only a few of many challenges that only the Gazan community, collectively, has the ability and genuine interest to tackle.
Even when material resources are scarce or nonexistent, thousands of grassroots activists possess the local knowledge to organize, find solutions, and deliver whatever is available. This includes negotiating prices, leveraging social networks that offer direct familiarity with each family’s situation, and the ability to act swiftly amid a rapidly changing reality. They mobilize human capacity, skills, and communication to implement and publicize creative solutions.
While it seems impossible for us to influence the criminal Israeli blockade, we do have the power to strengthen grassroots networks.
Wanting to support the people of Gaza, many turn to well-known international humanitarian organizations trying to operate in Gaza, or choose to directly aid individuals and specific families. Both approaches—and every form of solidarity—are vital and blessed. But in the face of the US-Israel circus of evil, it is imperative to support and advocate for community-based networks: the Palestinians with authentic, first-hand knowledge and connection to every family and individual, and the ability to think and act collectively, leaving no one behind.
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Inspire
Our friendship with GazaSpark began in 2020, when we supported their FabLab initiative—a creative space dedicated to teaching robotics to children in Gaza through joyful, hands-on learning. Since the genocide began, Spark has taken on immense responsibility, distributing clothes, shoes, and other basic necessities to children—without ever losing sight of their original mission. Even under relentless bombardment, Spark continues to offer children access to education in electronics, programming, and a wide range of STEM-based and creative activities.
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