The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the US and Israel, has stopped all operations in Gaza. The group faced intense criticism after several Palestinians died near its food centres earlier this year. Therefore, GHF announced that it will end its mission after “successfully completing its emergency mission”.

GHF ran four food distribution centres in Gaza. The US and Israel created it as an alternative to the United Nations. Both countries claimed the UN failed to deliver proper relief to Gazans. Moreover, reports say private stakeholders in the US and Israel own the agency.

Growing Concerns Over Deaths at Aid Sites

According to witnesses, medical records, and social media videos, Israeli military forces killed or injured more than 1,000 Palestinians near GHF sites. These incidents happened in central and southern Gaza as people rushed to get food. Survivors said Israeli forces fired at crowds guarding the access points.

Additionally, the Red Cross clinic in Rafah treated 1,874 “weapon-wounded patients” between 25 May and 19 June. Most of them said they were injured while trying to reach aid at GHF centres.

The Israeli military denied the accusations. However, GHF admitted that many Palestinians died while walking to its centres. Some contractors also claimed that US security guards shot live ammunition at people seeking food.

GHF Hands Over Its Operations

Meanwhile, John Acree, a former senior USAID official, said GHF would transfer its work to the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC). The US established the CMCC inside Israel to manage the ceasefire and coordinate aid delivery in Gaza.

He said, “GHF has been in talks with CMCC and international organisations now for weeks about the way forward and it’s clear they will be adopting and expanding the model GHF piloted.”

Furthermore, GHF closed all its centres after the US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect last month. In its statement, the organisation said it distributed more than 187 million meals to civilians in Gaza. It described the effort as “a record humanitarian operation that ensured food aid reached Palestinian families safely and without diversion to Hamas or other entities”.