🔗 Share this article

The disputed, United States and Israel-funded Gaza relief foundation announces it is terminating its relief activities in the affected area, after almost six months.

The group had already suspended its multiple aid distribution centers in Gaza after the halt in hostilities between Palestinian factions and Israel came into force six weeks ago.

The foundation sought to bypass the UN as the primary provider of humanitarian assistance to Gazans.

International relief agencies refused to co-operate with its system, saying it was improper and dangerous.

Hundreds of Palestinians were fatally wounded while seeking food amid disorderly situations near the foundation's locations, primarily from Israeli forces, as reported by United Nations.

Israel said its forces fired warning shots.

Mission Completion

The GHF said on the beginning of the week that it was terminating work now because of the "satisfactory fulfillment of its crisis response", with a aggregate of 3 million parcels containing the corresponding to over 187 million food portions provided to residents.

The foundation's chief officer, Jon Acree, additionally stated the United States-operated coordination body - which has been set up to help implement the American administration's Gaza initiative - would be "implementing and enlarging the system the foundation tested".

"The organization's system, in which Palestinian factions were unable to divert and benefit from humanitarian assistance, was significantly influential in getting Hamas to the table and establishing a truce."

Reactions and Responses

Hamas - which denies stealing aid - approved the termination of the aid organization, according to reports.

A representative of said the organization should be subject to scrutiny for the negative impact it created to Palestinians.

"We request all worldwide humanitarian bodies to guarantee that responsibility is assigned after leading to casualties and wounds of thousands of Gazans and obscuring the starvation policy employed by the Israeli authorities."

Organization Timeline

The foundation started work in Gaza on May 26th, a seven days following Israeli authorities had somewhat relaxed a complete restriction on aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza that persisted for nearly three months and led to substantial deficiencies of necessary provisions.

Three months later, a famine was declared in the Gaza metropolitan area.

The organization's sustenance provision locations in the southern and middle regions of Gaza were operated by United States-based protection companies and situated within regions under Israeli military authority.

Aid Organization Objections

United Nations agencies and their collaborators stated the approach contravened the core assistance standards of non-partisanship, even-handedness and self-determination, and that channelling desperate people into militarised zones was fundamentally dangerous.

The UN's human rights office reported it tracked the killing of at least 859 Palestinians seeking food in the proximity to foundation locations between late May through end of July.

Another 514 people were fatally wounded around the paths taken by United Nations and additional relief shipments, it further stated.

The greater part of these people were killed by the Israeli military, according to the office.

Divergent Narratives

Israeli defense forces said its troops had discharged cautionary rounds at people who approached them in a "intimidating" fashion.

The organization declared there were no shooting events at the relief locations and alleged that United Nations of using "inaccurate and deceptive" data from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Future Implications

The organization's continuation had been indefinite since Palestinian factions and Israeli authorities consented a truce agreement to execute the first phase of the United States' reconciliation proposal.

It said aid distribution would take place "free from intervention from the involved factions through the international bodies and their affiliates, and the Red Crescent, in combination with other worldwide bodies not connected in any way" with militant groups and the Israeli government.

UN spokesperson the UN spokesman said on Monday that the GHF's shutdown would have "no influence" on its operations "since we never collaborated with them".

The spokesperson additionally stated that while additional assistance was reaching the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire took effect on early October, it was "inadequate to satisfy all requirements" of the 2.1 million population.