The head of a controversial Gaza Aid Foundation supported by the United States government announced on Sunday (25), its resignation, increasing uncertainty about future efforts.
The Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza (GHF), headquartered in Geneva since February, had promised to distribute about 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operation.
In a statement, Jake Wood, GHF’s executive director, explained that he was forced to resign by concluding that the organization could not fulfill its mission in a way that guaranteed “humanitarian principles.”
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Amid charges that the group collaborated with Israel, the United Nations and other help agencies had stated that they would not cooperate with the foundation.
GHF emerged amid growing international pressure on Israel by the conditions in Gaza, where it conducts a military offensive after Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
A total blockade of more than two months in the territory began to yield only in recent days, in the face of warnings of international agencies on the risks of widespread hunger.
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“Like many around the world, I was horrified and saddened by the hunger crisis in Gaza, and as a humanitarian leader I felt the duty to do everything I could to help alleviate this suffering,” said Wood.
But it stated that it was “evident that it was not possible to implement this plan while strictly respected the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, which I will not abandon.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported on Sunday that at least 3,785 people have lost their lives in the territory since the breakdown of ceasefire on March 18, raising the total number of dead from October 2023 to 53,939, most civilians.
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The war in Gaza was triggered after the Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP count based on official data.
