US government defends aid for Gaza via controversial foundation
Despite growing criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US government has defended the aid provided so far by the organization in the Gaza Strip, while maintaining its distance from it.
Spokeswoman for the US State Department Tammy Bruce said the GHF is an independent organization that does not receive any money from the US government.
However, she said they welcome "creative solutions" to bring humanitarian aid into the war zone.
Bruce was responding to critical questions about the distribution system supported by Israel, which, according to the United Nations, endangers civilians and violates established standards of neutral aid.
Several aid organizations have warned that the distribution brings hungry crowds into close proximity to armed soldiers, with potentially deadly consequences.
The ministry spokeswoman pointed to the extent of the aid provided so far through the foundation.
Previously, the accusation was that too little was being done – now the nature of the aid is being criticized. The US State Department had already rejected criticism of the foundation, while emphasizing that it does not speak for it.
The foundation does not respond to questions about who funds it and where the money for the food packages comes from.
The background to the questions was an incident near the city of Rafah, in which at least 27 people were killed and around 90 injured, according to Palestinian sources.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called for an independent investigation.
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