DaysofPal – A harsh evaluation of the recently established US- and Israel-backed aid program, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), was delivered by the UN, which referred to it as a humanitarian “failure” and charged it with escalating the suffering in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated in a press briefing in Geneva on Friday:
“GHF, I think it’s fair to say, has been, from a principled humanitarian standpoint, a failure. They are not doing what a humanitarian operation should do, which is providing aid to people safely and securely.”
The GHF, a private organization launched on May 26 after Israel had fully sealed off Gaza’s aid corridors for more than two months, claims to have distributed over 18 million meals. However, the UN and major international aid organizations have refused to cooperate with the initiative, citing its lack of transparency, politicization of aid, and close alignment with Israeli military objectives.
Critics argue that the GHF operates outside the international humanitarian framework and has effectively militarized aid distribution. UN agencies accuse it of failing to ensure the safe delivery of life-saving supplies and contributing to further chaos by enabling Israeli control over humanitarian access.
Humanitarian organizations have reported dozens of civilian casualties near GHF-operated aid distribution points, largely attributed to Israeli forces opening fire on crowds. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, around 30 Palestinians were killed in early June while attempting to collect aid. The Israeli military claimed it had only fired warning shots, a claim widely contradicted by eyewitnesses.
Laerke emphasized the UN’s willingness to resume broad-scale humanitarian operations in Gaza if Israel allows the safe and consistent entry of sufficient aid:
“We are ready to operate at scale again, but it requires real, regular, safe, and principled access.”
Surge in civilian deaths during aid distribution
Since the GHF began its work, aid distributions have become flashpoints for violence, resulting in repeated massacres of Palestinians. On Friday alone, at least 20 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes during aid collection efforts, including at the Nablus roundabout and near the American School in northern Gaza. Another direct strike killed nine people near Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Hospitals across the Strip documented at least 27 deaths on Saturday, including 11 people shot while waiting for food. A new massacre was reported near an aid distribution site in the Wadi Gaza area.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, as of Thursday, 245 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,152 wounded near GHF-linked distribution points. These figures are part of a broader toll from Israel’s ongoing military campaign.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has also denounced the GHF mechanism, labeling it a “degrading” and “lethal” aid system. The UN had rejected involvement with the GHF from its inception, asserting that it lacks neutrality and integrity.
The GHF has drawn criticism not only for failing to meet humanitarian standards but also for serving what many observers see as a political and military agenda: controlling food access as a method of displacement and collective punishment.
Israel, with full backing from the United States, stands accused of committing acts that many international bodies and human rights organizations characterize as genocide, including deliberate starvation, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and forced displacement.
The war on Gaza has left over 182,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, with more than 11,000 reported missing, most of them women and children. The enclave is already experiencing a devastating famine that is killing a lot of people, especially babies. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, and hundreds of thousands remain homeless.
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