Gaza aid sites run by US and Israel-backed group closed after bloodshed

The National

3 days ago

Aid distribution points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will be temporarily closed on Wednesday, the organisation said, following three days of chaos and bloodshed at the sites during which Israeli troops were accused of firing on civilians.
"June 4, distribution centres will be closed for renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work," the foundation wrote on Facebook. Aid work will resume Thursday, it added. The Israeli army confirmed the closure.
The foundation began its operations last week after Israel eased a blockade on Gaza that had prevented aid from entering for over two months, sparking warnings of mass famine.
But the group's first week of work has been marred by violence and criticism. At least 27 Palestinians were killed waiting for aid at a distribution centre in the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday, according to Gaza authorities. On Sunday, 31 people were killed in a similar incident near a site run by the foundation. Three were killed on Monday.
The Israeli military faces allegations of shooting into crowds of civilians rushing to pick up aid packages near the sites. It has said the incidents are under investigation. On Tuesday the army said people would be prevented from approaching the distribution points on Wednesday.
"It is prohibited tomorrow to travel on roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones," Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X. "Entry to the distribution centre areas is strictly forbidden."
The foundation is officially a private group but is backed by the US and Israel. Its aid operations, which bypass traditional humanitarian groups, have been condemned by the UN and established charities, who say they place civilians at risk by forcing them to navigate militarised areas to reach the aid sites. The organisation has said it distributed more than seven million meals in its first week.
On Tuesday the foundation appointed Johnnie Moore, an evangelical leader and businessman, as its new leader after former chief Jake Wood resigned last week. Mr Wood had said the organisation could not fulfil its mission.
Mr Moore is an adviser to US President Donald Trump on interfaith issues and the founder and chief executive of a boutique communications consultancy named Kairos Company.
For decades, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA had spearheaded aid distribution in Gaza, with dozens of other organisations also participating.
But Israel has accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of the agency's employees took part in the October 7 attack that started the Gaza war. It also says Hamas has been pilfering aid and that the new foundation's operations are a method of circumventing the Palestinian militant group.
Israel has faced mounting international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the UN has warned the entire population faces famine. It imposed an aid blockade on the enclave on March 2 and has only relaxed it in recent days.
Nearly 20 months into the war, negotiations over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked. A brief truce collapsed in March and Israel has since intensified operations to 'destroy' the group.
The UN Security Council will vote on Wednesday on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza, a measure expected to be vetoed by the US.