US Foundation Eyes Takeover of Gaza Aid
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The US said a new foundation is being established to coordinate aid deliveries to Gaza amid Israel’s two-month blockade.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told reporters on Friday that Israel would not be involved in distributing aid in the enclave but would provide security for the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The plan for the “charitable” and “non-governmental” initiative was announced on Thursday by State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. Although few details were revealed, it appears part of a US-Israeli push to take over the distribution of aid to prevent it from being diverted.
The AP news agency reported that the newly created GHF had issued a proposal to implement a new aid distribution system, supplanting the current one run by the United Nations and other international aid agencies, Al Jazeera reported.
Reports claim that under the proposal, private contractors will be used to secure hubs where Palestinians will be required to gather to collect supplies.
The Israeli regime, which has halted the entry of all aid to Gaza since March 2, deepening the humanitarian crisis, has previously said it will not relax the blockade until a system is in place that gives it control over the distribution, insisting that supplies are used to support Hamas.
The intention to sideline the United Nations has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian organizations, and it is unclear if the GHF proposal will ease those concerns.
Israel’s blockade, implemented about two weeks before it resumed its bombardment of the enclave, has left Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, most of whom have been displaced multiple times, desperately short of food, fuel, and medicine.
