US-backed group begins aid distribution in Gaza
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group that is backed by Israel and the Trump administration, said Monday that it has started distributing food in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the GHF said it had “commenced operations in Gaza today, delivering truckloads of food to its Secure Distribution Sites, where distribution to the Gazan people began.”
More trucks with aid will be delivered on Tuesday, the group said, adding that the flow of aid would increase “each day.”
The Geneva-based organization, which was established in February, has pledged to distribute 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operating.
But the United Nations and international aid agencies have refused to work with the GHF amid allegations that the group is collaborating with Israel without any Palestinian involvement.
The UN has said the plan allows Israel to use food as a weapon, as it will force civilians to walk miles through Israeli military lines to find food.
Israel has faced rising global condemnation because of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where it has waged a military campaign in response to an attack in October 2023 by Hamas.
After a ceasefire collapsed in March, Israel imposed a two-month blockade on the Palestinian enclave, sparking fears of a famine in Gaza.
The GHF, meanwhile, has accused Hamas of trying to block its operations, condemning the Islamist group for making “death threats targeting aid groups.”
“It is clear that Hamas is threatened by this new operating model, and will do everything in its power to see it fail,” it said.
The group has also faced internal turmoil after its executive director Jake Wood resigned Sunday saying the new aid program would not allow him to do his job independently.
“It is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” he said in a statement.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/merz-says-israeli-actions-in-gaza-no-longer-justified/live-72666924
