DayofPal– The United States and Israel are working to block a draft UN Security Council resolution aimed at dissolving the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
GHF controversial aid distribution mechanism has come under intense scrutiny amid growing reports of mismanagement, mass casualties, and serious rights violations.
According to Ynet, a closed-door session was held last Friday at the UN Security Council, following which the United Nations instructed its agencies and organizations to cease all cooperation with GHF.
The move follows disturbing reports from the ground in Gaza, where scenes at aid distribution points have reportedly turned into what some officials are calling “mass death traps.”
The Russian representative at the session reportedly presented evidence suggesting that drugs were being smuggled into Gaza with the alleged involvement of the GHF.
Despite these accusations, the United States and Israel are actively opposing efforts to dismantle the foundation. Another Security Council session is scheduled for Monday, where the resolution will again be discussed.
The GHF, which began its operations in Gaza on May 27, was created to bypass the United Nations’ established humanitarian delivery systems. It has received backing from both the U.S. and Israel.
However, its operations have been widely condemned by humanitarian organizations and UN officials who argue that the foundation violates core humanitarian principles.
Following the closure of Gaza’s main crossings on March 2, Israel effectively blocked food, medical, and humanitarian supplies from entering the territory. Human rights organizations have accused Israel of employing starvation as a weapon of war against the 2.3 million Palestinians in the enclave.
A recent report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population could face catastrophic levels of food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 5, in the coming months.
Limited aid has been distributed by the GHF under a system many say is both inadequate and unsafe. According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), “weaponizing aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity.”
“Every day Palestinians are met with carnage in their attempts to receive supplies from the insufficient amount of aid trickling into Gaza,” MSF said in a statement.
The commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, issued a blistering condemnation of the foundation’s operations, calling the U.S.-Israel backed mechanism “lethal.”
“Palestinian lives have been so devalued,” Lazzarini wrote on X. “It is now the routine to shoot & kill desperate & starving people while they try to collect little food from a company made of mercenaries… Inviting starving people to their death is a war crime. Those responsible of this system must be held accountable. This is a disgrace & a stain on our collective consciousness.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed the criticism, saying the aid delivery system is “inherently unsafe” and “it is killing people.”
“Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently unsafe. It is killing people,” Guterres told reporters Friday. “People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence.”
Since the GHF began distributing aid, more than 520 people have been killed by Israeli forces near or at GHF sites, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
At least 39 others remain missing after heading to the distribution centers. Witnesses and local officials describe chaotic and dangerous scenes at these locations, where only limited aid is provided and Palestinians are forced to walk long distances to receive it.
Gaza’s Government Media Office has denounced the aid sites as “mass death traps” and “slaughterhouses.”
A Haaretz report cited Israeli military sources who admitted that commanders ordered troops to fire on crowds at these distribution points to drive them away, even when the civilians posed no threat.
Adding to the controversy, narcotics have reportedly been found inside flour bags distributed by the GHF. According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, several citizens discovered Oxycodone, a powerful and addictive opioid, concealed within the flour.
Some officials fear the drugs may have been crushed or dissolved into the flour itself, posing a serious public health risk.
“This is a systematic crime. It aims to spread addiction and destroy Palestinian society from within,” said Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Government Media Office in Gaza. “It is part of Israel’s broader war against the Palestinian people, including acts of genocide.”
He described the contamination as a form of chemical warfare disguised as humanitarian relief, warning that using narcotics as a “soft weapon” in warfare violates international law and constitutes a war crime.
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to call for the immediate restoration of full access to Gaza through safe and organized channels. Meanwhile, international outrage over the GHF’s operations continues to mount, even as the U.S. and Israel move to shield the organization from UN intervention.
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