WHILE THE ENTIRE population of the Gaza Strip in Palestine remains on the brink of famine, and Israel refuses to allow in thousands of truckloads of humanitarian aid, an organisation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has taken over food distribution, with already disastrous results. 

The introduction of this new US and Israeli-backed entity into the besieged Palestinian territory has been part of Israel’s plan to circumvent UN agencies and NGOs that already work in Gaza and have done so for decades. 

Those UN agencies and officials repeatedly condemned the establishment of the organisation, warning that it would allow Israel to weaponise the provision of food. 

NGOs said it would only serve to allow Israel to carry out a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, and endorsed by Israeli government officials, which is to remove the Palestinian population from the area.

At Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, people mourn those killed while gathering near a GHF centre on 3 June Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Trump’s proposal to “clean out” Gaza has been widely condemned as a plan for ethnic cleansing. 

The man who was initially heading up the organisation, US military veteran Jake Wood, resigned the day before it began operating in Gaza, citing similar concerns to those expressed by the UN. 

Israel has said the GHF is a means of preventing food and other supplies from falling into the hands of Hamas. 

In mid-May, Tom Fletcher of the UN’s humanitarian affairs office called the Israeli-US plan to take over aid distribution “a cynical sideshow”. 

‘Please stay away’ 

Israeli forces have on a number of occasions now opened fire on crowds of hungry people who were making their way to distribution points operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). 

The term Orwellian may be overused in modern discourse but, in this case, it seems to be the most appropriate description for an ostensibly humanitarian organisation whose distribution centre almost immediately became the site of massacres. 

One witness to the latest Israeli attack told AFP: “It’s a trap.” 

Since Wednesday, the GHF has suspended all aid distribution until further notice after Israel declared roads leading to its hubs “combat zones”. 

“Please stay away from distribution sites for your safety,” the GHF said in a Facebook post on Friday. 

All of the Israeli attacks have taken place at a centre in the Tal al-Sultan area outside Rafah City in the far south of the territory.

Palestinians carry boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The first deadly incident happened on the morning of Sunday, 25 May, when 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire, according to the Gaza Civil Defence agency.

The following morning, Israeli forces shot dead three people, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

And last Tuesday, 27 people were killed by Israeli fire near the site, according to health officials.

Israel has denied firing on civilians, saying it fired “warning shots ” and calling early reports “false” while the GHF initially did likewise.

The Israeli military did admit firing at “suspects” who they said had moved in their soldiers’  direction on Tuesday. 

Who funds and runs the GHF?

The short answer to the question of who funds the GHF is, we don’t know. 

The organisation is registered in the United States and while it has a website, all it says is:

“Delivering critical aid and support to the people of Gaza. More information coming soon”. 

The New York Times reported that the idea for an organisation like the GHF first came from Israel and opposition politician Yair Lapid has suggested it is funded by the Israeli government.

People carry away supplies from a GHF centre in Gaza Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The GHF said last month that a Western European country had donated more than $100 million but did not name the country.

As for who runs the GHF, a little more is known.

A former USAID contractor, John Acree, took over as John Wood’s interim replacement and an evangelical preacher and former Trump campaign advisor named Reverend Johnnie Moore was named the new chairman on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, US consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, whose participation had not previously been disclosed, terminated its contract with the GHF.

With reporting from AFP