GazaPassage spokesman Christopher Bedell revealed that GazaPassage’s Phase IV Funding Framework for humanitarian aid during war has already yielded a success. The group’s mission is to save innocent lives by helping non-combatants leave Gazan war zones.
Bedell said: “Nobody in the international community claims to be against getting innocents to safety. We built a way for nations to demonstrate they truly care about saving lives, beyond mere words or half-measures.”
Bedell’s statement buttresses GazaPassage’s earlier accomplishments in its first three phases, which have led to significant humanitarian relief for Gazan non-combatants.
The GazaPassage working group sent International Envoy Coach Weinhaus to Israel shortly after securing the domain name on October 10th. Once there, GazaPassage was able to secure Israel’s public commitment to allow non-combatants to leave Gaza to complete Phase I. Phase II quickly followed on October 29th, when the humanitarian group formulated and began implementing international outreach mission. After some success, Phase III launched with Bedell publicizing GazaPassage’s main vehicle for saving lives – the GazaPassage Pledge. It also introduced a bifurcated approach to help build a constitutional Gaza for those Gazans Israel had committed to allow return to the north. This plan was not in GazaPassage’s original approach but was necessitated when Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office Spokesperson Eylon Levy told Coach:
“We expect that when the fighting stops and it is safe for people to be able to return they will return and we will begin a process of reconstruction together with the international community.”
According to Bedell, Phase IV launched without announcement on January 16, 2024 with a private position paper entitled “Effective Funding of Humanitarian Hosting During War.” Bedell only revealed that the position paper was only being distributed on a “need to know” basis to countries with an interest in humanitarian aid.
Notably, the position paper, authored by Coach, predated the loss of UNRWA support among the West. Bedell refused comment related to the diversion of funds from UNRWA to GazaPassage’s mission.
Bedell confirmed that GazaPassage is entirely funded by the Working Group individually and has taken no outside funds.
As for the timing of the Phase IV announcement, Bedell played coy. “I can’t announce Phase V if I don’t lay out how we got here. Stay tuned.” Bedell intimated Phase V would be more “participatory.”
So far, the UAE, Australia, Canada, Chechnya, and Turkey have taken a GazaPassage Pledge to help non-combatants leave Gaza, and many others are considering it.
One of the ad hoc, newer news-grabbing Canadian groups, the Gaza Family Reunification Project, rejected GazaPassage’s non-combatants policy it in favor of a “families policy” and complained about security criticisms leveled against it. GazaPassage supports groups aligned groups in other countries as part of its international mission.
Please stay tuned for future planned phases.
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The GazaPassage Pledge reads as follows:
GAZAPASSAGE PLEDGE
Pursuant to (at least*) the Conditions below, the nation of _____ offers up to ______[#] humanitarian non-combatant beneficiaries from Gaza temporary residence, who meet its criteria.
*Each pledging nation is likely to have more detailed and exacting conditions. Nothing in the GazaPassage Pledge restricts a nation from exercising its discretion in any manner for ensuring the success of the humanitarian effort.
Conditions:
1) This offer pertains to Temporary Status Only.2) Each pledging nation may set its own terms for the length of Temporary Status, which may be open-ended, fixed time or conditioned upon the cessation of hostilities in Gaza.3) Nothing in this pledge requires that a pledging nation is responsible for the costs of the Pledge. That is, a pledging nation may require financial assistance from the international community as a condition of taking the pledge.
