Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private aid organisation backed by the USA and Israel, will begin aid distribution in the besieged enclave on Monday, May 26, it said in a statement.
“We are not deterred. Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Beginning May 26, GHF will start direct aid delivery to Gaza. We plan to rapidly scale and serve the full population in the weeks ahead,” the statement read.
It comes a few hours after the organisation’s executive director Jake Wood resigned. He cited the organisation’s inability to implement aid delivery plan without violating core humanitarian principles as the reason for departure.
He said that he was heartbroken by the hunger crisis in Gaza and had sought to build a neutral, secure mechanism to get food into Gaza. “However, it is not possible to implement this plan while strictly adhering to principles of humanity , neutrality and impartiality and independence, which I will not abandon.”
He urged Israel to ‘significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through al mechanisms, and urged all stakeholders to “continue to explore innovative new methods of delivery of aid, without delay, diversion or discrimination.”
Humanitarian organsiations slam GHF:
It has to be noted that UN agencies, aid groups and many NGOs working in Gaza refused to partner with the GHF, as they said that the GHF does not have the experience or capacity to bring aid to over 2 million people.
The GHF has been criticised as it restricts aid to only one part of Gaza while leaving other dire needs unmet. Eleven humanitarian, human rights organisations signed a statement saying that the GHF is a project led by politically connected western security and military figures, coordinated in tandem with Israeli government.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces bombed Fahmi al-Jarjawi school-turned shelter in Gaza City, which killed 36 people including several children. Videos from the spot showed a little Palestinian girl walking through the roaring flames after the bombing.
