Israeli-Backed Aid Group Seeks Millions in US Funding Amid Repeated Killings of Palestinians at Food Distribution Sites
The Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has requested $30 million in aid from the United States Agency for International Development, despite repeated incidents in which hundreds of starving Palestinians have been killed at its food distribution sites.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operating in the enclave on May 26 following a two-month Israeli blockade that created famine-like conditions, according to the United Nations, is now requesting millions in funding from the Trump administration to continue its operations. The group stated that Palestinians "desperately need more aid," France 24 reported.
However, many human rights groups and Palestinians have criticized the foundation for distributing only minimal supplies, sometimes just a single bag of flour, and for turning aid distribution into what has been described as "a death race," according to reporting by The Los Angeles Times.
Since distribution started less than one month ago, more than 400 people have been killed and more than 3,000 wounded. More than 400 Palestinians have been killed in indiscriminate attacks since the distribution centers opened in late May.
The aid distribution sites are staffed by private U.S. contractors and Israeli military personnel positioned near four centralized hubs. These locations require more than 2 million Palestinians to walk miles, often through active combat zones, to access minimal supplies. By contrast, prior to the Israeli blockade, the United Nations and other aid organizations operated more than 400 aid centers across Gaza.
In contradiction to what Palestinians, witnesses and Gaza rescue services has said, GHF Interim Executive Director John Acree claimed in a statement released over the weekend that they are "delivering aid at scale, securely and effectively ... But we cannot meet the full scale of need while large parts of Gaza remain closed."
"The people of Gaza desperately need more aid and we are ready to partner with other humanitarian groups to expand our reach to those who need help the most," the statement continued. "We are working with the government of Israel to honor its commitment and open additional sites in northern Gaza." A Palestinian man carries a box of aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government is accused of allowing thousands of pounds of food to spoil in warehouses and in semitrucks stalled at border crossings and in neighboring countries.
Jonathan Fowler, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), told NPR in May that tens of thousands of boxes containing balanced meals, enough to feed 200,000 people for a month, are rotting in storage. Even more food and medical supplies have reportedly been left sitting in trucks at Israeli border crossings for months.
Originally published on Latin Times
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