In the wake of the resignation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation chief on Monday, questions have arisen surrounding the controversy behind the U.S.-backed group that has drawn criticism and widespread condemnation from other aid agencies operating in the territory.
Who is behind this newly-formed humanitarian organization, and what is this group expected to do? Why is it considered so controversial? And why did the head of the group suddenly resign, just before the new aid efforts were set to begin in the war-torn enclave?
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), said it began operations this week.Â
On Tuesday, the GHF said Hamas caused delays in civilians accessing the distribution site, but “normal operations” have since resumed with 8,000 food boxes distributed so far, according to a statement.
This comes after a nearly three-month-long complete blockade on medical, fuel and food supplies imposed by Israel, that was only partially lifted in recent days, following international criticism and a famine warning from a global hunger monitor.
Here’s what we know about the organization, how its new aid distribution plan will work and the criticism it is facing.
What is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation?
The U.S.-backed GHFÂ was established in February in Switzerland, according to the Geneva commercial registry.
The organization is the linchpin of a new aid system that would wrest distribution away from aid groups led by the United Nations, which have carried out a massive operation moving food, medicine, fuel, tents and other supplies across Gaza since the war began in October 2023.Â
The group, which began as an Israeli-initiated plan and was approved by Israel to take over aid distribution in Gaza, said it aimed to start work by the end of May.
Israel has said it will facilitate the GHF’s work without being involved in aid deliveries.
It’s unclear who is funding the GHF.
It claims to have more than $100 million US in commitments from a European Union government but has not named the donor. The U.S. and Israel have said they are not funding it.
On Sunday, Swiss authorities said they were exploring whether to open a legal investigation into the GHF’s activities, after Trial International, a Switzerland-based NGO, submitted a request for a probe into GHF’s aid plan.
The NGO said it had filed two legal submissions asking Swiss authorities to investigate whether the Swiss-registered GHF complies with Swiss law and international humanitarian law.
How will its aid distribution plan work?
The group plans to centralize distribution through hubs. It says each of its initial four hubs would serve meals for roughly 300,000 people and says it will eventually be able to meet the needs of two million people.
The GHF said it will create more hubs within 30 days, including in northern Gaza, but did not specify their exact locations.Â
Aid will be delivered with the help of private subcontractors transporting supplies in armoured vehicles from the Gaza border to the hubs, where they will also provide security.Â
The risk of famine and mass starvation is rising in Gaza, the World Health Organization warns. Palestinian health officials say dozens of children have died of malnutrition since March, the month Israel blocked all aid shipments.
Also, GHF has said each meal it distributes would have 1,750 calories. That is below the 2,100-calorie per day standard for meals in emergency situations used by the UN’s World Health Organization, UNICEF and the World Food Program.
Satellite photos from May 10 obtained by The Associated Press show what appear to be construction of the hubs.
The photos show one in central Gaza, close to the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land held by Israeli troops. Three others are in the area of Rafah, south of the Morag Corridor, another military-held strip.
Almost the entire population is currently in northern Gaza — where no hub is currently located — or in central Gaza. Palestinians would have to cross through Israeli military lines to reach the hubs near Rafah.
Israel is in charge of vetting all aid entering Gaza and regularly rejects a wide array of items it claims could be put to military use by militant group Hamas.
Israel said the new system is aimed at separating aid from Hamas, which it accuses of stealing and using food to impose control over the population. Hamas has rejected Israel’s claim, saying it protects aid convoys from gangs of armed looters.
The 19-month-long war was triggered after Hamas-led militants stormed Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 53,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to its health authorities, and it has destroyed much of the territory, razing it to rubble.
What prompted group’s head to unexpectedly resign?
Jake Wood, the executive director of the GHF, resigned on Monday.
Wood said he stepped down because the group could not adhere “to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.”
His unexpected and sudden departure underscores the confusion surrounding the foundation.
Palestinian health officials have confirmed at least 50 people are dead following overnight airstrikes across Gaza. One strike hit a school being used as a shelter for the displaced. Officials say ramped-up Israeli offences have made aid delivery increasingly difficult.
Until resigning, Wood, a U.S. military veteran and co-founder of a disaster relief group called Team Rubicon, was the face of GHF.Â
It’s unclear who will take over Wood’s role at the foundation.
A proposal circulated by the group earlier this month and obtained by the AP included several names, including the former director of the UNÂ World Food Program, David Beasley. Neither Beasley nor GHF have confirmed his involvement.
Why are other aid organizations opposing this group?
The UN and other aid groups said the new plan will “weaponize aid” for Israel’s military and political purposes.
They say the change is simply not necessary, as a number of their own aid trucks remain at crossing points, not allowed to enter.
The groups said under this new program, Israel would have power to determine who receives aid and would allow it to force the population to move to where aid is being distributed, emptying large parts of the territory. That would potentially violate international laws against forced displacement.
“We cannot take part in a system that violates humanitarian principles and risks implicating us in serious breaches of international law,” said Shaina Low, communication adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, a leading aid group operating in Gaza.
With the risk of famine growing, many Gazans stormed aid trucks filled with food and supplies after the Israeli military, at least temporarily, lifted a ban on aid for the region.
The UNÂ said the private organization tasked with distributing aid in Gaza is a distraction from what is needed, such as the opening of crossing points, and has called the plan neither impartial nor neutral, adding that it will not be involved.
The groups also say the GHF plan cannot possibly meet the needs of Gaza’s large and desperate population.
The UNÂ and other aid groups “have shown absolutely that they can meet the needs of that population, when allowed to,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said Monday.
“We need to just keep reverting back to what works.”
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that under the aid mechanism, Gaza’s population would eventually be moved to a “sterile zone” in Gaza’s far south. He said it was for their protection while Israeli forces fight Hamas elsewhere. He also said once the Palestinians enter the area, “they don’t necessarily go back.”
Israel also says that after Hamas is defeated, it will implement a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to relocate the territory’s population outside Gaza, a proposal that has been widely condemned by international groups.
GHF said in a statement it is independent and apolitical and will not be part of any mass displacement.Â
