Controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Concludes Aid Operations
The disputed, United States and Israel-funded Gaza relief foundation announces it is terminating its relief activities in the affected area, following nearly half a year.
The foundation had earlier paused its three food distribution sites in Gaza following the halt in hostilities between Palestinian factions and Israel came into force recently.
The GHF aimed to bypass the UN as the chief distributor of aid to Gaza's population.
International relief agencies declined to participate with its approach, stating it was improper and dangerous.
Numerous Gazans were killed while seeking food amid turbulent circumstances near the organization's distribution points, mostly by Israeli fire, as reported by United Nations.
Israel said its forces fired cautionary rounds.
Mission Completion
The organization declared on Monday that it was concluding activities now because of the "effective conclusion of its humanitarian effort", with a total of three million packages containing the corresponding to over 187 million food portions distributed to Gazans.
The GHF's executive director, Jon Acree, additionally stated the American-directed Civil-Military Coordination Center - which has been set up to help execute US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan - would be "adopting and expanding the system the foundation tested".
"The organization's system, in which Hamas could no longer loot and profit from stealing aid, was significantly influential in getting Hamas to the table and securing a halt in hostilities."
Feedback and Statements
The Palestinian faction - which refutes aid diversion claims - approved the termination of the aid organization, as indicated by media.
A representative of said GHF should be made responsible for the negative impact it created to Palestinians.
"We request all worldwide humanitarian bodies to guarantee that responsibility is assigned after leading to casualties and wounds of thousands of Gazans and obscuring the starvation policy practised by the Israeli authorities."
Foundation History
The foundation started work in Gaza on May 26th, a seven days following Israel had partially eased a comprehensive closure on aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza that lasted 11 weeks and led to substantial deficiencies of vital resources.
Three months later, a famine was declared in the Palestinian urban center.
The GHF's food distribution sites in various parts of the Palestinian territory were managed by American private security firms and located inside Israeli military zones.
Relief Agency Issues
The UN and its partners said the approach violated the basic relief guidelines of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and that channelling desperate people into armed forces regions was fundamentally dangerous.
International human rights monitoring body stated it documented the fatalities of no fewer than 859 Gazans attempting to obtain nourishment in the area surrounding organization centers between spring and summer months.
A further 514 persons were lost their lives close to the paths taken by United Nations and additional relief shipments, it added.
The greater part of these people were fatally wounded by the Israel's armed forces, as per the organization's documentation.
Divergent Narratives
Israeli defense forces claimed its troops had released alerting fire at people who approached them in a "menacing" way.
The organization declared there were no shooting events at the distribution centers and accused the UN of using "untrue and confusing" figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.
Ongoing Situation
The organization's continuation had been indefinite since Palestinian factions and Israeli authorities consented a truce agreement to carry out the primary segment of the American administration's peace initiative.
It said aid distribution would take place "free from intervention from the involved factions through the international bodies and their affiliates, and the international relief society, in combination with other worldwide bodies not linked whatsoever" with Hamas and Israel.
UN spokesperson the international body's communicator said on Monday that the foundation's closure would have "no influence" on its work "since we never collaborated with them".
The spokesperson additionally stated that while increased relief was entering the region since the halt in hostilities began on early October, it was "inadequate to address all necessities" of the over two million inhabitants.