Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Resumes Aid Distribution After Deadly Shootings

Resumption of Aid Operations

• 🇵🇸 Palestinians in Rafah gathered aid on Thursday after the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation resumed operations at two distribution sites.
• ⚠️ Operations had been shut down a day earlier following a series of deadly shootings.
• 💬 A Palestinian woman reported collecting flour, lentils, and pasta, describing the difficult conditions and the danger faced.

Criticism and Neutrality Concerns

• 🌍 The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began distributing aid last week, has faced fierce criticism from humanitarian organizations, including the UN.
• ⚖️ The criticism stems from an alleged lack of neutrality in their operations.
• 🤝 UN and international humanitarian groups have refused to work with the foundation, citing concerns that aid distribution is controlled by Israel's military and forces displacement.

Aid Delivery Context

• 📦 Under global pressure, Israel allowed limited UN-led aid deliveries to resume on May 19th.
• 🚀 A week later, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched a new distribution system that bypasses traditional relief agencies.
• 🇺🇸 The American organization uses private US security and logistics companies and claims to have distributed at least 7 million meals.

Wider Gaza Situation

• ⚠️ The UN warns that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine due to an 11-week Israeli blockade.
• ⚔️ The Israeli military has intensified operations in Gaza since breaking a ceasefire with Hamas in March, aiming to eliminate the militant group.