Controversial United States-funded Gaza Relief Group Terminates Relief Activities

The controversial, US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announces it is winding down its humanitarian work in the Gaza region, after almost six months.

The foundation had already suspended its three food distribution sites in Gaza following the halt in hostilities between Palestinian factions and Israel was implemented six weeks ago.

The foundation sought to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid to Gaza's population.

International relief agencies declined to participate with its methodology, saying it was improper and dangerous.

Many residents were lost their lives while seeking food amid turbulent circumstances near the organization's distribution points, primarily from Israeli forces, as reported by United Nations.

Israel said its troops fired alerting fire.

Program Termination

The foundation announced on Monday that it was terminating work now because of the "satisfactory fulfillment of its emergency mission", with a total of three million packages containing the corresponding to over 187 million food portions delivered to Palestinians.

The foundation's chief officer, the executive director, additionally stated the American-directed Civil-Military Coordination Center - which has been created to help carry out the American administration's Gaza initiative - would be "implementing and enlarging the approach the organization demonstrated".

"The foundation's approach, in which Hamas could no longer loot and profit from stealing aid, had major impact in getting Hamas to the table and achieving a ceasefire."

Comments and Positions

Hamas - which denies stealing aid - welcomed the closure of the GHF, according to reports.

An official from declared the organization should be made responsible for the harm it caused to Palestinians.

"We request all worldwide humanitarian bodies to ensure that it does not escape accountability after resulting in fatalities and harm of many residents and obscuring the starvation policy practised by the Israeli authorities."

Operational Background

The GHF began operations in Gaza on late May, a week after Israeli authorities had somewhat relaxed a comprehensive closure on aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza that persisted for nearly three months and led to substantial deficiencies of necessary provisions.

Three months later, a famine was declared in the Gaza metropolitan area.

The GHF's food distribution sites in various parts of the Palestinian territory were managed by United States-based protection companies and positioned in regions under Israeli military authority.

Aid Organization Objections

The UN and its partners claimed the methodology violated the core assistance standards of non-partisanship, even-handedness and self-determination, and that channelling desperate people into military-controlled areas was intrinsically hazardous.

The UN's human rights office stated it documented the killing of at least 859 Palestinians trying to acquire sustenance in the vicinity of GHF sites between spring and summer months.

An additional 514 individuals were fatally wounded around the routes of UN and other aid convoys, it further stated.

The greater part of these people were lost their lives due to the Israeli military, as per the organization's documentation.

Divergent Narratives

The Israeli military stated its soldiers had released alerting fire at persons who advanced toward them in a "threatening" manner.

The GHF said there were no shooting events at the distribution centers and claimed the international organization of using "untrue and confusing" statistics from the Gazan medical department controlled by militant factions.

Subsequent Developments

The organization's continuation had been indefinite since militant groups and the Israeli government approved a halt in hostilities arrangement to carry out the initial stage of the American administration's peace initiative.

The agreement stated aid distribution would take place "free from intervention from the involved factions through the UN organizations and their partners, and the Red Crescent, in conjunction with other international institutions not associated in any manner" with Hamas and Israel.

International organization official the international body's communicator declared this week that the organization's termination would have "no impact" on its operations "as we never partnered with them".

He also said that while additional assistance was reaching the Palestinian territory since the halt in hostilities began on 10 October, it was "inadequate to address all necessities" of the 2.1 million population.