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Foreign organizations operating in Gaza under the guise of
“humanitarian” aid distribute so-called “dignity kits,” which include
basic hygiene items like soap, sanitary pads, toothbrushes, and
sometimes underwear. These organizations claim that their aim is to
preserve the dignity of individuals, especially women and girls,
during crises.

During a recent aid delivery from the British government to a field
hospital in Gaza, Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated, “Many people
in Gaza are suffering; no one should be without the basics of life
like shelter and bedding, and everyone deserves the dignity provided
by essential hygiene kits.” This statement, however, contrasts sharply
with the UK’s simultaneous support for Israel in its genocide against
Palestinians in Gaza.

This support includes assisting in military operations, implementing
deals with Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government regarding joint
training between British and Israeli military personnel, and providing
intelligence services against Palestinians, as documented in multiple
reports. British aircraft have conducted reconnaissance missions over
Gaza, and Israeli military aircraft have visited Britain under
undisclosed circumstances. Additionally, the UK facilitates U.S.
military support to Israel through its bases in Cyprus. This military
alliance is coupled with Britain’s commitment to defending Israel on
the global stage against criticisms, particularly at the UN and in
international legal forums. Despite these realities, media coverage
often focuses on the distribution of dignity kits to Gazans, ignoring
the broader context of Israeli actions against Palestinians.

This situation raises a critical question: How does war strip away
dignity?

War begins by dehumanizing civilians through speech and actions that
reduce them to mere objects in the eyes of aggressors, making the
deprivation of their dignity seem acceptable. In Gaza, Israeli
officials have likened Palestinians to animals and insects, an attempt
to justify their oppression. War forces displacement, uprooting people
from their homes and forcing them into overcrowded, degrading
conditions, stripping them of control over their lives and deepening
their dependence on external aid. Repeated displacements becoming the
norm in Gaza have compounded this sense of lost dignity. 

War also breaks down family dynamics and the societal fabric that
maintains cohesion, further deepening feelings of isolation and
helplessness and moving the concept of dignity further away. 

In contrast to the aid receiving international attention, maintaining
societal cohesiveness is what truly nurtures feelings of dignity. War
also destroys essential infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools,
and water systems, robbing people of their rights to basic needs and
further eroding their quality of life. The targeting of healthcare
facilities and the killing of medical workers in Gaza exemplify
efforts not only to erase lives but also to obliterate the dignity
that sustains them. 

Continuous exposure to violence and trauma — from home demolitions and
shelling to constant surveillance — breeds pervasive fear and
insecurity, undermining psychological stability and stripping
individuals of the basic sense of security integral to human dignity.

The problem with “dignity kits” in Gaza, therefore, is multifaceted.

The distribution of dignity kits by governments and organizations that
contribute to or are complicit in the ongoing siege and violence
against Gaza is a glaring contradiction. These entities, while
claiming to uphold dignity, are instrumental in creating the
conditions that strip Gaza’s people of their humanity and dignity. The
distribution of these kits serves as a superficial gesture that
obscures their role in perpetuating the root causes of suffering,
almost as a means to console the Western conscience by providing some
soap to those enduring constant violence.

The notion that dignity can be preserved or restored through basic
hygiene items is also deeply troubling. Offering soap to those whose
families have been killed and homes destroyed trivializes the concept
of dignity, reducing it to mere bodily cleanliness while ignoring the
profound psychological and emotional wounds inflicted by injustice.
True dignity is an integral feeling that surpasses material items; it
encompasses self-respect, human worth, and the ability to live freely
and independently.

For the people of Gaza, dignity is inextricably linked to liberation
from violence and occupation, the right to self-determination, and
access to essential services without dependency on external aid.
Providing material goods should not replace support for the
Palestinian resistance against genocide. This approach does not
address the deeper needs of Gazans or Palestinians and can be seen as
an attempt to assuage Western guilt while ignoring ongoing violations
of Palestinian rights.

Finally, the focus on women in the distribution of dignity kits often
reflects a Western-imposed sensitivity that overlooks the suffering of
men, especially those involved in resistance.

Women are often portrayed as helpless victims in need of special
protection, while men, particularly Arab Muslim resistance fighters,
are either ignored or depicted as less deserving of empathy. This
reinforces traditional stereotypes and excludes men from receiving
necessary care, further entrenching gender divisions — as if men are
to blame for bringing war upon themselves and other women, which
exempts them from Western empathy and dignity kits. True justice
requires a comprehensive approach that supports both women and men,
recognizing their individual and collective needs.

While dignity kits may provide immediate relief, they are no
substitute for true dignity, which can only be restored through
liberation from oppression. The term “dignity kits” in Gaza is
misleading and superficial, diminishing the profound struggle that
Palestinians are engaged in for their freedom.

True dignity is not granted through material items but achieved
through the end of violence and the recognition of Palestinians’
rights to self-determination and justice. In Gaza, dignity is a
collective value representing the right of the Palestinian people to
live in freedom and security. Any attempt to restore dignity through
material goods is an arrogant oversimplification of a much deeper
struggle.

https://mondoweiss.net/2024/09/the-indignities-of-humanitarian-aid-in-gaza/