🔗 Share this article

The debated, United States and Israel-funded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) says it is terminating its relief activities in the Palestinian territory, after almost six months.

The group had already suspended its several relief locations in Gaza after the truce agreement between Hamas and Israel came into force recently.

The organization attempted to avoid UN systems as the primary provider of humanitarian assistance to Gazans.

UN and other aid agencies refused to co-operate with its system, claiming it was improper and dangerous.

Hundreds of Palestinians were fatally wounded while attempting to obtain sustenance amid turbulent circumstances near the foundation's locations, mostly by Israeli fire, based on UN documentation.

Israeli authorities stated its troops fired alerting fire.

Program Termination

The GHF said on Monday that it was terminating work now because of the "satisfactory fulfillment of its crisis response", with a total of three million packages containing the amounting to in excess of 187 million sustenance units distributed to Gazans.

The GHF's executive director, Jon Acree, also said the United States-operated coordination body - which has been set up to help implement the United States' Palestinian peace proposal - would be "implementing and enlarging the model GHF piloted".

"GHF's model, in which Hamas could no longer loot and profit from stealing aid, was significantly influential in bringing Palestinian factions to negotiations and securing a halt in hostilities."

Feedback and Statements

Hamas - which denies stealing aid - welcomed the closure of the aid organization, as indicated by media.

A spokesman for declared the organization should be subject to scrutiny for the negative impact it created to Palestinians.

"We call upon all international human rights organisations to make certain that consequences are faced after leading to casualties and wounds of thousands of Gazans and covering up the food deprivation strategy practised by the Israeli authorities."

Operational Background

The foundation started work in Gaza on 26 May, a short period subsequent to Israel had partially eased a total blockade on aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza that persisted for nearly three months and resulted in critical deficits of necessary provisions.

After 90 days, a food crisis was announced in the Palestinian urban center.

The GHF's food distribution sites in southern and central Gaza were managed by United States-based protection companies and located inside areas controlled by Israeli forces.

Relief Agency Issues

International organizations and their affiliates stated the approach breached the core assistance standards of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and that guiding distressed residents into military-controlled areas was fundamentally dangerous.

United Nations human rights division reported it tracked the fatalities of no fewer than 859 Gazans seeking food in the vicinity of GHF sites between late May through end of July.

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

Most of them were killed by the Israeli forces, according to the office.

Conflicting Accounts

Israeli defense forces claimed its troops had fired warning shots at people who approached them in a "menacing" way.

The GHF said there were no firearm incidents at the relief locations and claimed the international organization of using "inaccurate and deceptive" statistics from the Palestinian health authority administered by Hamas.

Ongoing Situation

The GHF's future had been indefinite since Palestinian factions and Israeli authorities consented a ceasefire deal to execute the first phase of the American administration's peace initiative.

The arrangement specified relief provision would take place "without interference from the both sides through the UN organizations and their partners, and the Red Crescent, in combination with other international institutions not connected in any way" with Hamas and Israel.

International organization official Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that the organization's termination would have "no influence" on its work "as we never partnered with them".

The spokesperson additionally stated that while more aid was getting into Gaza since the truce was implemented on October 10th, it was "not enough to satisfy all requirements" of the over two million inhabitants.