"We question your quoting of COGAT’s statistic that “less than 1% of the total aid” going into the Gaza strip is contributed by the 37 aid groups whose licenses are to be revoked. Where was the 1% statistic derived from? What was included in the 1%? Tents? Food? Baby formula? Water? Medical supplies? What about medical, public health and sanitation services? As you indicated later in the article, Palestinians in Gaza rely on aid groups for food, water, health care, shelter and other essentials."
Sam Mednick, Correspondent, The Associated Press
Josef Federman, Deputy News Director, The Associated Press
Donovan Vincent, The Public Editor, Star
Dear Ms. Mednick, Mr. Federman and Mr.Vincent,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) regarding the Associated Press article, Aid groups petition Israeli court to let them keep working in Gaza after ban over new rules, that was published in the Star on February 24, 2026.
We appreciate that the article is focussing on the petition to Israel’s supreme court. However, we question your quoting of COGAT’s statistic that “less than 1% of the total aid” going into the Gaza strip is contributed by the 37 aid groups whose licenses are to be revoked. Where was the 1% statistic derived from? What was included in the 1%? Tents? Food? Baby formula? Water? Medical supplies? What about medical, public health and sanitation services? As you indicated later in the article, Palestinians in Gaza rely on aid groups for food, water, health care, shelter and other essentials.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), international organizations in Gaza run or support 60 percent of field hospitals and all the stabilization centers for children with severe malnutrition, and they deliver 42 percent of all water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
OCHA reported that if these 27 groups cease operations in Gaza, one in three health facilities would immediately close, 20,000 patients requiring monthly specialized care would lose access to care, waterborne diseases and sanitation conditions would worsen, and there would be immediate and severe gaps in detecting and treating malnutrition.
We would ask that you revise your article to include data that shows the true impact of the banning of the 27 organizations and also validate where COGAT’s statistic of “less than 1% of aid” is derived from and clarify what is included in ‘total aid’. If the 1% can’t be validated or clarified then it should be removed.
We also hope that future articles would rely on data from a range of reliable sources and not solely from the perspective of the Israeli government.
Sincerely,
Debbie Hubbard
Kelowna, British Columbia