🔗 Share this article

The debated, US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) declares it is concluding its humanitarian work in the Gaza region, following nearly half a year.

The organisation had already suspended its several relief locations in Gaza following the truce agreement between Hamas and Israel was implemented recently.

The organization attempted to avoid UN systems as the primary provider of humanitarian assistance to Gazans.

United Nations organizations and other humanitarian groups would not collaborate with its methodology, claiming it was questionable and hazardous.

Numerous Gazans were lost their lives while trying to acquire nourishment amid chaotic scenes near the organization's distribution points, primarily from Israeli forces, as reported by United Nations.

Israel said its soldiers fired warning shots.

Program Termination

The GHF said on Monday that it was concluding activities now because of the "satisfactory fulfillment of its crisis response", with a total of three million packages containing the equivalent of more than 187 million meals distributed to Gazans.

The foundation's chief officer, the executive director, also said the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) - which has been created to help carry out the United States' Palestinian peace proposal - would be "taking over and developing the system the foundation tested".

"GHF's model, in which Hamas could no longer loot and profit from stealing aid, played a huge role in convincing militant groups to participate and establishing a truce."

Comments and Positions

Hamas - which denies stealing aid - supported the shutdown of the humanitarian foundation, based on information.

A representative of declared GHF should be made responsible for the damage it inflicted to Gazans.

"We call upon all international human rights organisations to guarantee that responsibility is assigned after causing the death and injury of many residents and obscuring the nutritional restriction approach employed by the Israeli government."

Operational Background

The foundation started work in Gaza on May 26th, a short period subsequent to Israeli authorities had somewhat relaxed a total blockade on aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza that lasted 11 weeks and caused severe shortages of necessary provisions.

Three months later, a nutritional emergency was proclaimed in Gaza City.

The organization's sustenance provision locations in the southern and middle regions of Gaza were administered by US private security contractors and located inside Israeli military zones.

Relief Agency Issues

The UN and its partners claimed the approach breached the core assistance standards of non-partisanship, even-handedness and self-determination, and that directing needy individuals into armed forces regions was intrinsically hazardous.

The UN's human rights office stated it documented the fatalities of no fewer than 859 Gazans attempting to obtain nourishment in the proximity to foundation locations between spring and summer months.

An additional 514 individuals were lost their lives close to the courses followed by international humanitarian deliveries, it added.

The greater part of these people were killed by the Israel's armed forces, based on the agency's reports.

Conflicting Accounts

Israeli defense forces claimed its forces had released alerting fire at people who approached them in a "threatening" fashion.

The GHF said there were no shootings at the distribution centers and accused the UN of using "inaccurate and deceptive" figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Future Implications

The GHF's future had been indefinite since Hamas and Israel agreed a ceasefire deal to carry out the initial stage of the American administration's peace initiative.

It said relief provision would take place "free from intervention from the two parties through the international bodies and their affiliates, and the humanitarian medical organization, in addition to other global organizations not associated in any manner" with Palestinian factions and Israeli authorities.

International organization official the international body's communicator declared this week that the organization's termination would have "no influence" on its work "because we never worked with them".

The official further mentioned that while increased relief was entering the region since the halt in hostilities began on early October, it was "not enough to meet all the needs" of the over two million inhabitants.