United Nations slams US- and Israel-backed Gaza aid group as a ‘failure'
The United Nations says the Israeli- and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is a 'failure' from a humanitarian perspective.
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said aid operations have stalled because the GHF is not delivering supplies safely to those in need.
'GHF, I think it's fair to say, has been, from a principled humanitarian standpoint, a failure,' Laerke told reporters in Geneva on Friday. 'They are not doing what a humanitarian operation should do, which is providing aid to people where they are, in a safe and secure manner.'
The UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, citing concerns that it prioritises Israeli military objectives over humanitarian needs.
The newly formed private organisation began operations on May 26 after Israel had completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine.
It says it has distributed more than 18 million meals since then.
On Friday, more than 30 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks, medical sources told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera's Tariq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said Israeli forces were targeting parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza with artillery fire and ground attacks.
'The Israeli military is deepening its ground operations,' Azzoum said, saying there were clashes in the eastern part of the city.
The besieged territory remained under a communications blackout for a second day on Friday. Hamas has denounced what it described as an Israeli decision to cut communication lines in Gaza, calling it 'a new aggressive step' in the country's 'war of extermination'.
Israel continues to force civilians into what it calls the 'safe zone' of al-Mawasi, a barren coastal strip with no infrastructure, which it has repeatedly bombed. A drone strike on a tent there killed at least two people on Friday.
The attack left 'everyone on the ground quite confused about where they can go in order to find safety', Azzoum said.
In the occupied West Bank, Israel sealed all crossings and checkpoints between Palestinian towns and cities early on Friday, shortly after it launched a wave of air strikes on targets in Iran.
Sources told Al Jazeera the closures were imposed without any indication of when they might be lifted.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its ambulances were being denied access to patients, including those in urgent need of medical care.
In occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces closed Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing Palestinians from attending Friday prayers.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa held an emergency cabinet meeting in response and activated crisis committees across the West Bank.
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