New Gaza Aid Foundation: US Faces Backlash for Sidestepping UN Agency
Rabat – The United States has announced the creation of a new foundation to coordinate aid deliveries to Gaza, drawing sharp criticism from humanitarian groups and the United Nations agency that has long led relief operations in the war-torn territory.
The move comes as Gaza faces worsening famine-like conditions due to the Israeli Occupation Forces' (IOF) ongoing blockade and merciless aggression.
The new initiative, called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), was announced by the US State Department on Thursday. According to officials, the foundation will be a charitable, non-governmental organization that aims to deliver aid more securely and prevent it from being diverted by Hamas or other groups.
The foundation is expected to work independently of the United Nations and is reportedly in talks to be headed by David Beasley, former director of the UN World Food Programme.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Friday that while Israel will not manage aid distribution directly, it will provide security for GHF's operations.
Private contractors would reportedly be used to guard distribution hubs where Palestinians must gather to collect supplies. The plan is said to align with an Israeli proposal to create four 'Secure Distribution Sites,' each intended to serve 300,000 people.
The US decision to bypass the United Nations and other existing aid agencies has alarmed humanitarian organizations, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which has been the main humanitarian actor in Gaza for decades.
Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for UNRWA, warned that distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza would be extremely difficult without the agency's involvement. 'It is impossible to replace UNRWA in a place like Gaza. We are the largest humanitarian organisation,' Touma said during a press conference in Geneva in response to questions about the proposal.
Read also : Israel Approves Expansion Offensive Plan in Gaza
She noted that UNRWA has over 10,000 staff in Gaza who deliver the remaining supplies and manage shelters for displaced people. 'It is very, very difficult to imagine any humanitarian operation without UNRWA,' Touma added.
UNRWA's mandate includes running schools, clinics, and food distribution programs, as well as coordinating long-term development and relief efforts for Palestinian refugees. The agency has deep ties to local communities and infrastructure that most other groups lack.
Israel, which resumed its relentless attacks on Gaza in March after a short-lived, fragile truce, has blocked nearly all humanitarian aid from entering the enclave. Over 2.4 million Palestinians remain trapped under siege, with the UN and aid workers warning of mass starvation. At least 57 people, many of them children, are reported to have died from hunger so far.
Critics of the US-Israeli plan argue that it is a political move meant to weaken UNRWA and control aid distribution in Gaza. 'This is aid-washing,' said Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA spokesperson. 'This is a cynical attempt by the state of Israel and its allies … to use aid to hide the fact that what's actually going on is people are being starved into submission,' Gunness told Al Jazeera.
The UN's humanitarian agency also condemned the plan. 'This appears to be a deliberate attempt to weaponize aid,' said spokesperson Jens Laerke.
Despite these concerns, US officials say the new plan is urgently needed to get food and medical supplies to people suffering in Gaza. 'The most significant danger is doing nothing,' Ambassador Huckabee said. 'People are dying from hunger.'
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