Media reports say members of Israeli Cabinet have agreed to slap new restrictions on humanitarian aid and food supply distribution to Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, including forced facial recognition.
“Palestinians came to these places, were registered and screened through facial recognition technology. They would pick up parcels for their families,” news outlet NPR reported, citing Israeli officials, the news agency reported.
“The truth is that it is part of a larger strategy to ensure that Palestinian civilians move in large numbers into smaller, more integrated regions of Gaza.
The Sweden-based human rights group denounced the plan strongly, pointing out it was a “risky shift from traditional humanitarian organizations to for-profit companies that manage the distribution of aid.”
“It’s not just a change in the way aid is provided, it’s a oppressive transaction, forcing Palestinians to exchange biometric data, such as face and iris scans, for essential aid like food, water and medical care,” Skyline International (SIHR) said in a report Thursday.
“What is presented as humanitarian relief is actually a system of mass surveillance,” he said, adding that “Gaza civilians exposed to years of surveillance are facing a new phase of technodystopian experiments.
MNA