Latest news with #JohnAcree
Al Jazeera
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US approves $30m for controversial Israel-backed Gaza aid group
The United States says it has approved $30m in direct funding for the controversial Israel-backed group delivering aid in Gaza, despite growing concern over a series of deadly attacks on Palestinian aid seekers near its distribution hubs in the besieged territory. 'We call on other countries to also support the GHF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and its critical work,' State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters on Thursday. The GHF, backed by the US and Israel, has been a source of widespread criticism since its establishment in May. The organisation was set up amid growing pressure on Israel to ease its months-long total blockade on humanitarian aid entering the Strip. The blockade had pushed most of Gaza's population to the brink of starvation. International aid groups and the United Nations have refused to work with the GHF, saying it violates basic humanitarian principles by coordinating delivery with Israeli troops backed by privately hired and armed US security personnel. Video clips have emerged showing Palestinians being shot at while trying to collect food aid. At least 549 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food aid distributed at GHF sites, the Gaza Government Media Office said on Thursday. The GHF, which is officially a private group, has denied that deadly incidents have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points. The GHF's interim executive director, John Acree, welcomed the US contribution and said it was 'time for unity and collaboration'. 'We look forward to other aid and humanitarian organizations joining us so we can feed even more Gazans, together,' he said in a statement. Asked about the criticism of the operation, Pigott said the group has distributed 46 million meals so far, which is 'absolutely incredible' and 'should be applauded'. The financial support to the GHF is part of President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's 'pursuit of peace in the region', he said. 'Nothing but death' A witness who has tried unsuccessfully to receive aid from the distribution sites on several occasions described the nightmarish conditions he faced when attempting to reach the hubs. Atar Riyad, a father of eight originally from Beit Hanoon who has been displaced to Gaza City, told Al Jazeera he had travelled towards the distribution centres near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza several times. Thousands of hungry Palestinians would gather near the sites early in the morning, Riyad said. He said that on one occasion, he saw trucks running over aid seekers. On another, he saw the bodies of young people who appeared to have been shot. 'We went to only find death in front of us. There was nothing but death,' he said. Riyad said his best friend and neighbours were among those who had been killed at the distribution centres. 'All died as they tried to get food to feed their families,' he said. Kate Mackintosh, executive director of the UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe, told Al Jazeera that GHF workers could bear criminal liability for the killings of aid seekers near the group's distribution points. 'It's very unclear why these people are being targeted and killed, but I think it's pretty clear that these are unarmed civilians who are desperately trying to get food for their families,' she said. 'Firing upon people in that situation prima facie is a war crime.' She said that people working for the GHF would 'have to think about the extent to which they could be complicit in those crimes'. 'If they're aware that this is going to happen – or even in some jurisdictions they're aware of the substantial risk of this happening, which it seems they must be … they could be held criminally liable for participating in those crimes.' In the latest violence surrounding the distribution of food, an Israeli strike on Thursday hit a street in central Gaza, killing 18 people. Witnesses said a crowd of people had gathered to receive bags of flour from a Palestinian police unit that had confiscated the goods from gangs looting aid convoys. Efforts by the UN to distribute the food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys. The strike in the central town of Deir el-Balah on Thursday appeared to target members of Sahm, a security unit tasked with stopping looters and cracking down on merchants who sell stolen aid at high prices. The unit is part of Gaza's Hamas-led Interior Ministry but includes members of other factions. Israel has accused the Hamas group of stealing aid and using it to prop up its rule in the enclave. Israeli forces have repeatedly struck Gaza's police, considering them a branch of Hamas.
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
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
Observer
4 days ago
- Health
- Observer
Gazans on 'desperately need more aid', says aid group
GAZA: A privately run aid organisation brought in to distribute food rations in war-hit Gaza last month with US and Israeli backing said that people in the Palestinian territory "desperately need more aid". The admission by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) that it has been unable to meet demand came after severe criticism from other aid groups and near-daily deadly shootings near distribution points. Gaza's civil defence agency reported that Israeli troops had killed scores of people, including those who were seeking food in the territory which is suffering from famine-like conditions due to Israeli restrictions, according to aid groups. In a statement on Saturday, GHF interim executive director John Acree said that the organisation was "delivering aid at scale, securely and effectively... But we cannot meet the full scale of need while large parts of Gaza remain closed." He said the GHF was "working with the government of Israel to honour its commitment and open additional sites in northern Gaza". "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," Acree said. GHF's operations have been slammed as a "failure" by the United Nations, while other aid groups have raised concerns about the group's opaque structure and neutrality in the conflict that has been raging since October 2023. According to figures issued on Saturday by the health ministry in the Gaza Strip, at least 450 people have been killed and nearly 3,500 injured by Israeli fire since GHF began distributing meal boxes in late May. GHF has denied responsibility for deaths near its aid points, contradicting statements from witnesses and Gaza rescue services. It has said deaths have occurred near UN food convoys. The head of aid group Doctors Without Borders, Christopher Lockyear, said that the "imposed system of aid delivery" in Gaza was "not only a failure, but it is dehumanising and dangerous". Israel's military has continued its operations in Gaza, even as attention has shifted to its ongoing war with Iran since June 13. Israel's ban on foreign media entering the Gaza Strip and difficulties for local journalists to travel in the territory mean media is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities. The Israeli army said that it was "looking into" the deaths which the civil defence agency reported near GHF distribution centres. In the past, the military has said that its troops have fired on crowds approaching them in a threatening fashion and only after warning shots. Witnesses have said that injuries caused by drones and tank rounds. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that three people were killed by gunfire in the southern Gaza Strip, with another five killed in a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, where thousands of Palestinians have gathered daily in the hope of receiving rations from a GHF centre. Earlier this week, the UN's World Health Organization warned that Gaza's health system was at a "breaking point", pleading for fuel to be allowed into the territory to keep its remaining hospitals running. — AFP
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Health
- Japan Today
U.S.-backed Gaza aid group says people 'desperately need more aid'
By Adam PLOWRIGHT A privately run aid organization brought in to distribute food rations in war-hit Gaza last month with U.S. and Israeli backing said Saturday that people in the Palestinian territory "desperately need more aid". The admission by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) that it has been unable to meet demand came after severe criticism from other aid groups and near-daily deadly shootings near distribution points. Gaza's civil defense agency said Saturday that Israeli troops had killed at least 17 people, including eight who were seeking food in the territory which is suffering from famine-like conditions due to Israeli restrictions, according to aid groups. In a statement on Saturday, GHF interim executive director John Acree said that the organization was "delivering aid at scale, securely and effectively... But we cannot meet the full scale of need while large parts of Gaza remain closed." He said the GHF was "working with the government of Israel to honor its commitment and open additional sites in northern Gaza". "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," Acree said. GHF's operations have been slammed as a "failure" by the United Nations, while other aid groups have raised concerns about the group's opaque structure and neutrality in the conflict that has been raging since October 2023. According to figures issued Saturday by the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, at least 450 people have been killed and nearly 3,500 injured by Israeli fire since GHF began distributing meal boxes in late May. GHF has denied responsibility for deaths near its aid points, contradicting statements from witnesses and Gaza rescue services. It has said deaths have occurred near U.N. food convoys. On Monday, the head of aid group Doctors Without Borders, Christopher Lockyear, said that the "imposed system of aid delivery" in Gaza was "not only a failure, but it is dehumanizing and dangerous". Israel's military has continued its operations in Gaza, even as attention has shifted to its ongoing war with Iran since June 13. Israel's ban on foreign media entering the Gaza Strip and difficulties for local journalists to travel in the territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities. The Israeli army told AFP Saturday it was "looking into" the deaths which the civil defense agency reported near GHF distribution centers. In the past, the military has said that its troops have fired on crowds approaching them in a threatening fashion and only after warning shots. Witnesses have told AFP about injuries caused by drones and tank rounds. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that three people were killed by gunfire in the southern Gaza Strip, with another five killed in a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, where thousands of Palestinians have gathered daily in the hope of receiving rations from a GHF center. Earlier this week, the UN's World Health Organization warned that Gaza's health system was at a "breaking point", pleading for fuel to be allowed into the territory to keep its remaining hospitals running. The Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 55,908 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The U.N. considers these figures reliable. © 2025 AFP
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
US-backed Gaza aid group says people 'desperately need more aid'
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- A privately run aid organization brought in to distribute food rations in war-hit Gaza last month with US and Israeli backing said Saturday that people in the Palestinian territory "desperately need more aid." The admission by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) that it has been unable to meet demand came after severe criticism from other aid groups and near-daily deadly shootings near distribution points. Gaza's civil defense agency said Saturday that Israeli troops had killed at least 17 people, including eight who were seeking food in the territory which is suffering from famine-like conditions due to Israeli restrictions, according to aid groups. In a statement on Saturday, GHF interim executive director John Acree said that the organization was "delivering aid at scale, securely and effectively ... But we cannot meet the full scale of need while large parts of Gaza remain closed." He said the GHF was "working with the government of Israel to honor its commitment and open additional sites in northern Gaza." "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," Acree said. GHF's operations have been slammed as a "failure" by the United Nations, while other aid groups have raised concerns about the group's opaque structure and neutrality in the conflict that has been raging since October 2023. According to figures issued Saturday by the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, at least 450 people have been killed and nearly 3,500 injured by Israeli fire since GHF began distributing meal boxes in late May. GHF has denied responsibility for deaths near its aid points, contradicting statements from witnesses and Gaza rescue services. It has said deaths have occurred near UN food convoys. On Monday, the head of aid group Doctors Without Borders, Christopher Lockyear, said that the "imposed system of aid delivery" in Gaza was "not only a failure, but it is dehumanizing and dangerous." Israel's military has continued its operations in Gaza, even as attention has shifted to its ongoing war with Iran since June 13. Israel's ban on foreign media entering the Gaza Strip and difficulties for local journalists to travel in the territory mean Agence France-Presse was unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities. The Israeli army told AFP Saturday it was "looking into" the deaths which the civil defense agency reported near GHF distribution centers. In the past, the military has said that its troops have fired on crowds approaching them in a threatening fashion and only after warning shots. Witnesses have told AFP about injuries caused by drones and tank rounds. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that three people were killed by gunfire in the southern Gaza Strip, with another five killed in a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, where thousands of Palestinians have gathered daily in the hope of receiving rations from a GHF center. Earlier this week, the UN's World Health Organization warned that Gaza's health system was at a "breaking point," pleading for fuel to be allowed into the territory to keep its remaining hospitals running. The Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 55,908 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The UN considers these figures reliable.
