Over 170 non-governmental organizations are urging for the dismantling of a US- and Israeli-backed food aid plan in Gaza, claiming it puts civilians in danger of death and injury. Health officials in Gaza report that over 500 people have been killed in mass shootings near aid distribution centers or transport routes patrolled by Israeli forces since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) started operating in late May.
The GHF relies on private US security and logistics companies to deliver supplies to Gaza, bypassing a UN-led system that Israel claims allowed militants to divert aid. The United Nations has deemed the plan “inherently unsafe” and a breach of humanitarian impartiality rules.
By mid-afternoon on Tuesday in Geneva, where the joint declaration was released, 171 charities had signed the call for countries to persuade Israel to halt the GHF scheme and resume UN-coordinated aid deliveries.
“Palestinians in Gaza are forced to choose between starvation and the risk of being shot as they desperately try to reach food to feed their families,” the statement reads.
Organizations supporting the call include Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Amnesty International.
In response, the GHF told Reuters that it has provided over 52 million meals in five weeks and accused other humanitarian groups of having nearly all of their aid stolen.
“We welcome other humanitarian organizations to join us and help feed the people in Gaza, instead of simply criticizing and insulting us from the sidelines,” the GHF stated.
The NGOs accuse the GHF of obliging hungry and weak individuals to travel for hours, sometimes through active conflict zones, to reach food aid.
The Israeli military admitted on Monday that Palestinian civilians have been injured at aid distribution centers in Gaza and stated that new instructions had been given to Israeli forces following “lessons learned.”
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/middle-east-trump-urges-hamas-to-accept-ceasefire-plan/live-73108371?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
