Disputed American-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Terminates Aid Operations

Humanitarian work in Gaza
The GHF had halted its food distribution centers in Gaza after the truce came into force six weeks ago

The debated, US and Israel-backed Gaza relief foundation declares it is concluding its humanitarian work in the Gaza region, after almost six months.

The foundation had previously halted its multiple aid distribution centers in Gaza after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into force in recent weeks.

The organization attempted to avoid UN systems as the main supplier of humanitarian assistance to Gazans.

United Nations organizations and other humanitarian groups refused to co-operate with its system, claiming it was questionable and hazardous.

Hundreds of Palestinians were killed while attempting to obtain sustenance amid chaotic scenes near GHF's sites, primarily from Israeli forces, according to the UN.

The Israeli military claimed its forces fired alerting fire.

Mission Completion

The GHF said on Monday that it was concluding activities now because of the "effective conclusion of its emergency mission", with a aggregate of 3 million parcels containing the amounting to in excess of 187 million sustenance units distributed to Gazans.

The foundation's chief officer, the foundation leader, also said the American-directed Civil-Military Coordination Center - which has been established to help carry out the United States' Palestinian peace proposal - would be "taking over and developing the approach the organization demonstrated".

"The foundation's approach, in which Palestinian factions were unable to divert and benefit from humanitarian assistance, played a huge role in bringing Palestinian factions to negotiations and securing a halt in hostilities."

Comments and Positions

The militant group - which disputes allegations of misappropriation - supported the shutdown of the humanitarian foundation, as indicated by media.

A representative of declared GHF should be made responsible for the harm it caused to local residents.

"We request all worldwide humanitarian bodies to ensure that it does not escape accountability after leading to casualties and wounds of thousands of Gazans and obscuring the nutritional restriction approach employed by the Israeli authorities."

Foundation History

The GHF began operations in Gaza on May 26th, a seven days following the Israeli government had moderately reduced a comprehensive closure on humanitarian and trade shipments to Gaza that lasted 11 weeks and resulted in critical deficits of necessary provisions.

After 90 days, a food crisis was announced in the Gaza metropolitan area.

The foundation's nourishment distribution centers in various parts of the Palestinian territory were operated by American private security firms and located inside Israeli military zones.

Relief Agency Issues

The UN and its partners stated the system breached the basic relief guidelines of objectivity, fairness and autonomy, and that directing needy individuals into armed forces regions was inherently unsafe.

United Nations human rights division reported it tracked the fatalities of no fewer than 859 Gazans seeking food in the area surrounding organization centers between late May through end of July.

A further 514 persons were lost their lives close to the routes of UN and other aid convoys, it further stated.

Most of them were killed by the Israeli forces, as per the organization's documentation.

Divergent Narratives

Israeli defense forces stated its soldiers had released alerting fire at people who approached them in a "menacing" way.

The foundation stated there were no firearm incidents at the distribution centers and accused the UN of using "inaccurate and deceptive" statistics from the Palestinian health authority administered by Hamas.

Subsequent Developments

The GHF's future had been indefinite since Hamas and Israel agreed a ceasefire deal to carry out the first phase of the American administration's peace initiative.

It said humanitarian assistance would take place "free from intervention from the two parties through the UN organizations and their partners, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other global organizations not associated in any manner" with militant groups and the Israeli government.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric declared this week that the organization's termination would have "zero effect" on its operations "because we never worked with them".

He also said that while additional assistance was reaching the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, it was "insufficient to satisfy all requirements" of the over two million inhabitants.

Courtney Saunders MD
Courtney Saunders MD

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