Charity accuses Israeli-backed Gaza aid group of using logo without permission
A US charity has accused the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the controversial US and Israeli-backed group that began food deliveries to Gaza this week, of distributing photographs with its logo on deliveries without permission.
Images sent out by GHF this week showed shipments bearing a label from Rahma Worldwide, a US charity based in Michigan, as part of its first distribution of food to sites inside Gaza. The rollout was marred by scenes of chaos after crowds overran one distribution centre managed by GHF and Israeli forces said they had fired 'warning shots'. Gaza health officials said at least one civilian had been killed and 48 injured in the incident.
The aid bearing the Rahma logo, which was prominently displayed in a press packet distributed by GHF, suggested to some media outlets that the groups were officially partnered. That would be an important endorsement as questions have grown over GHF's funding and lack of partners or experience in distributing aid.
The UN and aid groups have also pushed back against the new system led by GHF. They say that Israel is trying to use food as a weapon and that a new system won't be effective.
In a statement, Rahma said that it had previously 'secured all necessary permits' for 4,000 food boxes to cross into Gaza but none had entered. Israel has blocked the UN and other aid organisations from moving food into Gaza, where people are starving.
Unable to get the food in, Rahma had allowed the containers to be 'taken custody' by GHF. Rahma added, however, that it had refused to allow its personnel to take part in the distribution because of GHF's use of armed security contractors.
'We noticed images of our food boxes with logo being distributed without Rahma's direct involvement,' the group said in a statement. 'Rahma did not authorise such distribution, and none of our team was permitted to participate in this process.'
In a separate statement, Rahma's executive director and founder said it had allowed GHF to transport the aid, which had been stuck at the border, due to the 'severe need in Gaza' but had demanded a formal explanation for why that aid had been distributed under its name.
'We stipulated that the Rahma logo be removed from the aid parcels,' said Dr Shadi Omar Zaza, the head of Rahma. 'To our surprise, the organisation's logo was not removed, and the security company distributed these parcels bearing the Rahma Worldwide logo.'
The group has refused to cooperate with GHF because of its use of armed security contractors, which Zaza said violated the group's operational charter and humanitarian mandate.
'We will not accept, and will not be part of, this aid distribution mechanism – because we do not allow armed actors, we do not allow any armed party to interfere in our relief work,' he said.
GHF has been approached for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
29 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Parliament moves closer to setting up Iraq war-style inquiry into Gaza conflict
Parliament moved a step closer to setting up a probe after MPs agreed that the Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill should be listed for a debate later this year. The draft new law would 'require the inquiry to consider any UK military, economic or political co-operation with Israel since October 2023', the month when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 others. Israel's retaliatory offensive has seen more than 54,000 people in Gaza killed, according to the territory's health ministry. 'Our future history books will report with shame those that had the opportunity to stop this carnage but failed to act to achieve it, and so we will continue our campaigns in this House and outside because we're appalled at what is happening,' the former Labour Party leader told the Commons. Mr Corbyn, the Independent MP for Islington North, had earlier said: 'In the aftermath of the Iraq war, several attempts were made to establish an inquiry surrounding the conduct of the British military operations. 'The government of the day spent many years resisting those attempts and those demands for an inquiry, however, they could not prevent the inevitable and in 2016 we had the publication of the Chilcot Inquiry, which Sir John Chilcot had undertaken over several years.' Mr Corbyn added that when he was the Labour leader, when the 12-volume report came out, he 'apologised on behalf of the Labour Party for the catastrophic decision to go to war in Iraq' and added: 'History is now repeating itself.' He warned that 'human beings have endured a level of horror and inhumanity that should haunt us all forever – entire families wiped out, limbs strewn across the street, mothers screaming for their children buried under the rubble, human beings torn to pieces, doctors performing amputations without anaesthetic, children picking grass and dirt from the ground thinking they might find something edible to eat'. Mr Corbyn alleged that the UK had a 'highly influential role in Israel's military operations', including by supplying weapons, and also said a future inquiry should seek the 'truth regarding the role of British military bases in Cyprus' and Government 'legal advice over an assessment of genocide'. He said the inquiry would uncover the 'murky history of what's gone on, the murky arms sales and the complicity in appalling acts of genocide'. Deputy Speaker Nus Ghani called 'order' when several MPs applauded, as Mr Corbyn presented his Bill. The Bill will be listed for its next debate on July 4.
North Wales Chronicle
30 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Parliament moves closer to setting up Iraq war-style inquiry into Gaza conflict
Parliament moved a step closer to setting up a probe after MPs agreed that the Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill should be listed for a debate later this year. The draft new law would 'require the inquiry to consider any UK military, economic or political co-operation with Israel since October 2023', the month when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 others. Israel's retaliatory offensive has seen more than 54,000 people in Gaza killed, according to the territory's health ministry. 'Our future history books will report with shame those that had the opportunity to stop this carnage but failed to act to achieve it, and so we will continue our campaigns in this House and outside because we're appalled at what is happening,' the former Labour Party leader told the Commons. Mr Corbyn, the Independent MP for Islington North, had earlier said: 'In the aftermath of the Iraq war, several attempts were made to establish an inquiry surrounding the conduct of the British military operations. 'The government of the day spent many years resisting those attempts and those demands for an inquiry, however, they could not prevent the inevitable and in 2016 we had the publication of the Chilcot Inquiry, which Sir John Chilcot had undertaken over several years.' Mr Corbyn added that when he was the Labour leader, when the 12-volume report came out, he 'apologised on behalf of the Labour Party for the catastrophic decision to go to war in Iraq' and added: 'History is now repeating itself.' He warned that 'human beings have endured a level of horror and inhumanity that should haunt us all forever – entire families wiped out, limbs strewn across the street, mothers screaming for their children buried under the rubble, human beings torn to pieces, doctors performing amputations without anaesthetic, children picking grass and dirt from the ground thinking they might find something edible to eat'. Mr Corbyn alleged that the UK had a 'highly influential role in Israel's military operations', including by supplying weapons, and also said a future inquiry should seek the 'truth regarding the role of British military bases in Cyprus' and Government 'legal advice over an assessment of genocide'. He said the inquiry would uncover the 'murky history of what's gone on, the murky arms sales and the complicity in appalling acts of genocide'. Deputy Speaker Nus Ghani called 'order' when several MPs applauded, as Mr Corbyn presented his Bill. The Bill will be listed for its next debate on July 4.
The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
UN Security Council will vote on a resolution demanding a Gaza ceasefire, with US veto expected
The U.N. Security Council will vote Wednesday on a resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and the Trump administration is expected to veto it because it does not link the ceasefire to the release of all the hostages held by Hamas. The resolution before the U.N.'s most powerful body also does not condemn Hamas' deadly attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza — two other U.S. demands. The U.S. vetoed the last resolution on Gaza in November, under the Biden administration, because the ceasefire demand was not directly linked to the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Similarly, the current resolution demands those taken by Hamas and other groups be released, but it does not make it a condition for a truce. Calling the humanitarian situation in Gaza 'catastrophic,' the resolution, put forth by the 15-member council's 10 elected members, also calls for 'the immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the U.N. and humanitarian partners.' President Donald Trump's administration has tried to ramp up its efforts to broker peace in Gaza after 20 months of war. However, Hamas has sought amendments to a U.S. proposal that special envoy Steve Witkoff has called 'totally unacceptable.' The vote follows a decision by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation to pause food delivery at its three distribution sites in the Gaza Strip after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings near the sites this week. Israel and the United States say they supported the establishment of the new aid system to prevent Hamas from stealing aid previously distributed by the U.N. The United Nations has rejected the new system, saying it doesn't address Gaza's mounting hunger crisis, allows Israel to use aid as a weapon and doesn't comply with the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. The U.N. says its distribution system throughout Gaza worked very well during the March ceasefire and is carefully monitored. The resolution demands the restoration of all essential humanitarian services in line with humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law and U.N. Security Council resolutions. Several U.N. diplomats from different countries, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private, said they expect the United States to veto the resolution. They also said they expect a similar vote to the one in November, when the 14 other council members supported the resolution. Israel's U.N. Mission said Ambassador Danny Danon, who will speak after the vote, will say the resolution undermines humanitarian relief efforts and ignores Hamas, which is still endangering civilians in Gaza. He also will say the resolution disregards the ceasefire negotiations that are already underway, the mission said. Gaza's roughly 2 million people are almost completely reliant on international aid because Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all food production capabilities. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies into Gaza on March 2, and limited aid began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. 'The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat,' U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement Wednesday. He called for a flood of aid to be let in and for the world body to be the one delivering it. The Security Council has voted on 14 Gaza-related resolutions and approved four since the war began. That is when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers. ___
