DayofPal– The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial US-backed aid initiative operating in the besieged Gaza Strip, has named Johnnie Moore, a prominent US evangelical figure and staunch supporter of Israel, as its new executive chairman.
The appointment comes amid intensifying scrutiny over the organization’s role in distributing aid and its ties to Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Moore, who has previously lauded President Donald Trump’s plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza and transform the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” takes over from Jake Wood.
Wood resigned last month, citing the impossibility of implementing a private aid distribution plan “while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.”
The announcement comes as deadly Israeli attacks continue near GHF aid distribution sites. According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israeli forces have killed at least 102 Palestinians and wounded 490 others since the launch of the new US-backed aid mechanism on May 27.
The Office described the attacks as “a horrific, intentionally repeated crime,” accusing Israel of using the aid sites to lure starving civilians into deadly ambushes.
“The so-called ‘aid’ distribution centres, which are located in exposed and dangerous red zones under the control of the occupation army, have turned into mass bloodbaths, luring starving civilians to them as a result of the crippling famine and the tightening siege,” the Office said in a statement.
“They are then deliberately and coldly shot, in a scene that epitomises the malice of the project and exposes its true objectives.”
Moore denied reports of Israeli attacks at GHF distribution sites.
“We urge extreme caution against sharing unverified information from sources that have repeatedly issued demonstrably false reports. False reporting of violence at our sites has a chilling effect on the local population,” he claimed.
The latest incident occurred early Tuesday morning in the Al-Alam area of Rafah, where 27 Palestinians waiting for food were killed and 90 others wounded by Israeli fire.
Drone footage, eyewitness videos, and testimonies from medical teams confirmed that Israeli forces opened fire directly on civilians, many of whom suffered gunshot wounds to the head or chest.
Moore’s leadership of GHF has sparked additional backlash due to his previous comments endorsing Trump’s controversial plan for Gaza.
“President Trump always sees war through the eyes of its human cost, & he thinks creatively – never bound by conventional wisdom. He stops wars & makes peace,” Moore wrote on X in February.
“The USA will take full responsibility for future of Gaza, giving everyone hope & a future.”
Moore’s biography describes him as a “noted evangelical friend” of Israel and a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He reportedly played a significant role in brokering the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states.
The GHF was established as an alternative to UN-managed aid routes, following Israel’s closure of Gaza’s main crossings in early March.
Human rights groups have condemned the closure as a form of collective punishment. An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report warned last month that nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population faces catastrophic hunger.
The GHF has been criticized for distributing limited supplies in dangerous areas and for requiring Palestinians to walk long distances under threat of Israeli fire.
The UN and other humanitarian organizations have distanced themselves from the group, citing violations of fundamental humanitarian principles.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemned the new aid mechanism as “dehumanizing, dangerous and severely ineffective.”
“Today’s events have shown once again that this new system of aid delivery is dehumanising, dangerous and severely ineffective,” said Claire Manera, MSF’s emergency coordinator, in a Sunday statement.
“It has resulted in deaths and injuries of civilians that could have been prevented. Humanitarian aid must be provided only by humanitarian organisations who have the competence and determination to do it safely and effectively.”
Two senior GHF officials, including Jake Wood and chief operating officer David Burke, have resigned since the foundation began operations last week.
Wood specifically cited the organization’s inability to uphold the principles of “humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”
Despite growing criticism, Moore remains defiant in his leadership of the GHF. His appointment signals a continued alignment of the foundation with US and Israeli political agendas, even as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens.
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