The Nameless One

Last week I had a bit of an issue - the suggestion was made that I had made up the Nameless One. 

The truth is, that when my dear friend needed to remain nameless in my articles, I granted him that request without question. I trusted what he needed.

And I expected that’s all that would ever need to be said about it. I would continue, just calling him “the Nameless One” (also using the term in the spirit of our dear friend Karen Swanson, may her memory be a blessing),  since he could not be named and expected readers to accept this truth. I felt it was no big deal, just a shift in my reporting.

So I supplied proof of not only the Nameless One’s existence but also of his wealth of knowledge when I needed to, not to go against his wishes, but with his permission.

Those who have read Israel at War since the beginning of the column, right after October 7, are well aware of who the Nameless One is (such as our Webster County Supervisors Niki Conrad and Nathan Montgomery). 

But for those who may not know, for those who have read this column after his initial introduction, allow me to strike a chord.

The Nameless One is not only well-informed and deeply connected, but he is also someone whose identity I now conceal at his request, due to his role.

I am honored to know him, and incredibly grateful that he continues to agree to breath insight into my column, though I’ve offered him an “out” more than once, knowing generally what he does and how busy he is. 

I may feel as though I’m part of an inconsequential part of the world in relation to the events happening in Israel, but the Nameless One does give the state of Iowa the geopolitical importance it deserves.

By giving me his time, he’s giving Iowa his time. 

What he shares is a first-hand understanding of Israel and the Middle East that we might otherwise not have. I feel blessed to be a part of this compassion.

What I carry with me when I report the words of the Nameless One is the insight of Zionist Israel, specifically - a perspective not readily offered in American media. 

This week he’s shared the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories website with me to verify the numbers of aid taken to Gaza. 

He’s done so that I may report the most accurate numbers available concerning the distribution of aid by Israel.

A little background on COGAT reveals that they are a product of the six day war that “reshaped the Middle East and transformed Israel’s strategic posture.”

Israel’s quick victory in the war introduced vast territories to Israeli control: Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. 

However, Israel needed to learn how to govern their new territories, as well as said territory populations.

In response to the challenge, an entity was formed to “coordinate civil affairs in the administered territories.” 

Eventually, the body became a permanent part of the Ministry of Defense and was given the name “Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories”—or COGAT. 

“Its primary role was to oversee the implementation of Israel’s civil policy and security coordination in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, areas to which Israeli law was never formally applied,” says the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security website.

In light of this, Israel provided essential services (education, healthcare, and infrastructure) while ensuring security and military control.

Yet, the policies of COGAT were inconsistent in the beginning - but later they came to be the central authority that oversaw civilian life in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip.

To clearly outline their responsibility today, they: “implement the government's civilian policy within the territories of Judea and Samaria and towards the Gaza Strip, in coordination and cooperation with officials from defense and government offices in various fields.”

Further, COGAT is “tasked with the coordination and facilitation of humanitarian initiatives, doing so in coordination with the international community.”

“Israel’s war,” COGAT’s website maintains, “is not with the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.” 

In fact, humanitarian efforts consist of, “facilitating aid, including food, medical supplies, fuel, and shelter, as well as the direct delivery of water from Israel to Gaza, facilitating the establishment of field hospitals in Gaza, assisting with the evacuation of patients for medical treatment out of Gaza, and more.”

This official government agency records that 1,935,506 tons of aid, delivered in 99,759 trucks, on 11,672 pallets, has been issued to Gaza.

The site also breaks down the amount of aid delivered by land, sea, and air.

These are government figures from August 12, 2025.

Led by Major General Ghasan Alyan, the Unit assures that Jerusalem is working toward getting aid to Gaza, whilst trying to thwart the aims of exploitation by the Hamas terrorist organization.

Hamas, in truth, seeks only to build their military strength and tighten their grip on the population itself.

“This is sometimes done under the cover of certain international aid groups, knowingly or unknowingly,” officials say, and COGAT notes that “about 300 truckloads of humanitarian aid enter the Gaza Strip each day, via registered organizations.”

Delays in aid, they stress, occur “only when organizations choose not to meet the security requirements intended to prevent Hamas involvement.” 

But bad press for Israel is part of Hamas’ strategy.