Gaza Aid Group Closes After Six Months of Turmoil and Civilian Deaths

GAZA STRIP: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial aid group backed by the US and Israel, announced Monday it is winding down its operations after nearly six months, claiming the “successful completion of its emergency mission.”

The organization’s entire tenure was defined by conflict with the global aid community. From its launch on May 26, the GHF aimed to bypass the UN as the main aid supplier, a decision that led to severe criticism over its methods and deadly consequences for Palestinians seeking food.

The GHF’s three food distribution sites in southern and central Gaza were operated by US private security contractors and strategically located inside Israeli military zones. The UN and its partners refused to cooperate, arguing the system contravened the fundamental humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence, and that funneling desperate people into militarized zones was inherently unsafe.

The UN’s human rights office recorded a massive death toll around GHF operations:

859 Palestinians were killed while seeking food in the vicinity of GHF sites between May 26 and July 31.

The UN attributes most of these killings to the Israeli military, who claimed their troops fired only “warning shots” at people approaching them in a “threatening” manner.

The GHF delivered a total of three million packages, equivalent to more than 187 million meals. However, the GHF denied that any shootings occurred at their sites and accused the UN of using “false and misleading” statistics originating from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Hamas, which denies the US accusation that it has been “looting and profiting from stealing aid,” welcomed the GHF’s closure.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem called for the organization to be held accountable. “We call upon all international human rights organisations to ensure that it does not escape accountability after causing the death and injury of thousands of Gazans,” Qassem wrote on his Telegram channel.

Despite the controversy, the GHF’s model is not disappearing. Executive Director Jon Acree stated that the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC), established to implement President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, would be “adopting and expanding the model GHF piloted.”

The UN, which continues to struggle with getting sufficient aid into the territory, said the GHF’s shutdown would have “no impact” on its operations, as “we never worked with them.”