The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organization backed by the US and Israel, has announced a halt to its operations in Gaza. This decision was made shortly after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on October 10th. Despite having funding secured until November, the GHF stated that its final aid delivery occurred on Friday.
The foundation has faced considerable criticism due to incidents where many Palestinians were killed while queuing for food at its distribution centers. Eyewitness accounts suggest that Israeli forces were responsible for the casualties. In response, Israel has consistently denied its troops opened fire on civilians near these sites, while the GHF has asserted that its aid distribution points have operated without issues.
A GHF spokesperson explained that their northernmost distribution site, SDS4, had to be closed as it was no longer within Israeli Defense Forces-controlled territory. Satellite images confirm the site was dismantled shortly after the ceasefire began, showing evidence of recent activity such as tire tracks and disturbed ground.
The spokesperson further commented, “Right now we’re paused. We feel like there’s still a need, a surge for as much aid as possible. Our goal is to resume aid distribution.” However, speculation remains that the specific terms of the ceasefire agreement might exclude the GHF from participating in future aid efforts.
In parallel, data from the United Nations indicates minimal change in the amount of aid collected from border crossings since the ceasefire began. While the daily average of aid leaving Israeli-controlled crossings has seen a slight increase compared to the previous week, it remains consistent with figures from September.
UN data also reveals that only about 20% of the aid that passes through crossings has reached its intended recipients since May 19th. The UN has reported that over 7,000 aid trucks have been “intercepted” by either desperate civilians or armed groups.
Sources within the aid sector expressed hope that such looting incidents will decrease in the coming weeks as stability is restored and assurances are given that the ceasefire will hold. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) emphasized the critical need for the ceasefire to facilitate increased aid flow, stressing the importance of reaching all vulnerable populations in Gaza, including those in areas recently made accessible.
OCHA manages numerous distribution points, many of which were previously inaccessible due to conflict or Israeli restrictions. The office is working to re-establish these points, reduce looting, clear roads of unexploded ordnance, and ensure safety assurances for its operations.