Dutch Deputy Premier Sigrid Kaag Named UN’s New Gaza Aid Chief
Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag has been appointed the United Nations’ senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for the Gaza Strip, the UN has announced. The appointment will take effect on Jan. 8.
Kaag’s role will be to “facilitate, coordinate, monitor and verify humanitarian relief consignments for Gaza” and “establish a mechanism to accelerate aid into Gaza through countries not involved with the conflict,” the UN said.
The appointment follows last week’s UN Security Council resolution calling for aid to be delivered to Gaza “at scale.” Although the resolution did not explicitly call for a cease-fire, it reflected the international concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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On Wednesday, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the organization’s ability to deliver aid had been significantly affected by the intense and widespread fighting in many parts of Gaza.
“Operational challenges due to insecurity, blocked roads, and a scarcity of fuel are also hindering the humanitarian response,” the office said in a statement.
The UN reported that in recent days, some 500,000 Gazans taking refuge in UN-run shelters had been delivered “food parcels, wheat flour, high-energy biscuits and nutrition supplements.”
Kaag, 62, is a senior politician and professional diplomat who has held various high-ranking positions in the Dutch government, including trade minister, finance minister and foreign minister. Fluent in Arabic, she has also held leadership positions in various UN missions in the Middle East and North Africa, including leading a team responsible for eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles and serving as the UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon.
Throughout her career, Kaag has publicly criticized Israeli government policy and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2021, she reportedly clashed with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Israel-related foreign policy, admonishing him for his pro-Israel stance. Kaag maintains a personal connection to the conflict, as her husband, Anis al-Qaq, is a PLO politician who worked closely with Yasser Arafat in the 1990s.
