US-backed aid organisation in Gaza to close

The U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), created as an alternative aid distributor to the United Nations, announced on November 24th that it would be shutting down its operations, reported AP.

The GHF had already halted its operations following the start of the ceasefire in Gaza, and its director, John Acree, declared that the organisation had “succeeded in our mission of showing there’s a better way to deliver aid to Gazans.”

Throughout its operation, the foundation withheld details about its funding and the armed contractors stationed at its sites, while asserting that its goal was to prevent aid from being diverted by Hamas.

A BBC investigation found that members of the Infidels Motorcycle Club, a U.S. biker gang who saw themselves as crusaders and were known for hostility towards Islam, had been employed as armed security at GHF distribution sites run by the private contractor UG Solutions.

Ten gang members were identified to be working in Gaza, including seven in senior roles, at the aid sites in which hundreds of civilians were killed amid chaotic aid scenes.

Palestinians, health officials and humanitarian groups reported that the system forced civilians to cross areas controlled by Israeli troops to obtain food, with witnesses and videos indicating that soldiers opened fire near crowds, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

The Israeli military said shots were used only as warnings or in response to perceived threats. However Israeli soldiers have told Haaretz that they were ordered to shoot at unarmed Palestinians at the aid distribution sites.

Contractors working at the sites, supported by video accounts, said American security personnel did fire live rounds and stun grenades as people pressed forward for food.

Acree said the GHF would hand off its work to the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center, the entity overseeing the Gaza ceasefire, noting that international partners planned to expand on the distribution model GHF had tested.

A deputy spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Tommy Pigott, said the foundation had provided “valuable lessons learned.”

GHF began its work in late May, several months after Israel stopped food deliveries to Gaza as a part of its genocidal siege, a move that pushed the population to famine.

Israel intended for the private contractor-led system to replace the U.N.-run aid network, accusing Hamas of diverting supplies – allegations the U.N. has rejected. The U.N. criticised the creation of the GHF, warning it handed Israel control over food distribution and risked further displacement.

AP, BBC, Haaretz, Maghrebi.org