Controversial American-supported Gaza Relief Group Terminates Relief Activities

The disputed, US and Israel-backed Gaza relief foundation says it is concluding its relief activities in the Gaza region, following nearly half a year.

The group had earlier paused its three food distribution sites in Gaza after the halt in hostilities between Palestinian factions and Israel took effect six weeks ago.

The foundation sought to circumvent United Nations channels as the main supplier of relief to Palestinian residents.

UN and other aid agencies refused to co-operate with its system, claiming it was improper and dangerous.

Numerous Gazans were killed while attempting to obtain sustenance amid chaotic scenes near the organization's distribution points, primarily from Israeli forces, according to the UN.

The Israeli military claimed its soldiers fired alerting fire.

Mission Completion

The organization declared on recently that it was winding down operations now because of the "successful completion of its crisis response", with a aggregate of 3 million parcels containing the corresponding to over 187 million food portions delivered to Palestinians.

The GHF's executive director, the foundation leader, also said the United States-operated coordination body - which has been created to help execute the United States' Palestinian peace proposal - would be "taking over and developing the model GHF piloted".

"The foundation's approach, in which Hamas could no longer loot and profit from stealing aid, was significantly influential in getting Hamas to the table and securing a halt in hostilities."

Reactions and Responses

The militant group - which disputes allegations of misappropriation - supported the shutdown of the aid organization, as indicated by media.

An official from said the foundation should be subject to scrutiny for the harm it caused to Palestinians.

"We urge all international human rights organisations to guarantee that responsibility is assigned after leading to casualties and wounds of many residents and covering up the nutritional restriction approach employed by the Israel's administration."

Organization Timeline

The GHF began operations in Gaza on late May, a short period subsequent to Israel had partially eased a total blockade on humanitarian and trade shipments to Gaza that continued for 77 days and caused severe shortages of necessary provisions.

Subsequently, a nutritional emergency was proclaimed in Gaza City.

The foundation's nourishment distribution centers in the southern and middle regions of Gaza were managed by US private security contractors and positioned in Israeli military zones.

Humanitarian Concerns

The UN and its partners said the approach violated the basic relief guidelines of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and that channelling desperate people into militarised zones was inherently unsafe.

International human rights monitoring body stated it documented the deaths of a minimum of 859 residents seeking food in the vicinity of GHF sites between 26 May and 31 July.

An additional 514 individuals were fatally wounded around the routes of UN and other aid convoys, it added.

Most of them were fatally wounded by the Israel's armed forces, according to the office.

Conflicting Accounts

Israeli defense forces claimed its forces had fired warning shots at people who approached them in a "intimidating" fashion.

The organization declared there were no shootings at the aid sites and accused the UN of using "untrue and confusing" statistics from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Future Implications

The organization's continuation had been indefinite since Hamas and Israel agreed a ceasefire deal to execute the first phase of the American administration's peace initiative.

The arrangement specified aid distribution would take place "free from intervention from the involved factions through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in combination with other global organizations not associated in any manner" with militant groups and the Israeli government.

UN spokesperson the UN spokesman declared this week that the organization's termination would have "no influence" on its operations "because we never worked with them".

He also said that while more aid was getting into Gaza since the truce was implemented on 10 October, it was "insufficient to meet all the needs" of the 2.1 million population.