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Head Of Controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Resigns

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by blueapples
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 - 11:00

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With attempts to broker a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas proving to be a futile effort time and time again, focus has shifted to the mission to alleviate the spiraling humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, that effort too has been to no avail as Israel's blockade on Gaza limited food and medical supplies from entering into the war zone for months. While capitulation by Israel in the face of condemnation from adversaries and allies alike has led to some aid entering into the Gaza Strip, the amount of supplies being allowed into the war ravaged region pale in comparison to that of which is needed. Since lifting its 11-week blockade, just 100 aid trucks have begun to enter Gaza daily, a far cry from the amount of 5 times as many IGOs like the UN have deemed to be adequate.

The aid trucks that have begun to enter into Gaza have been coordinated by the the newly-established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The GHF was created under the auspices of Israel and the United States in February to fulfill the nations' long-term vision of a "humanitarian response" for the region. From its onset, the GHF has been met with criticism due to its ties to Israel illustrating a clear conflict of interest given the oversight of centralized aid distribution centers being placed under the control of the IDF and private US security contractors. That structure amplified concern over the private stake taken in the distribution of aid by the GHF being at odds with principles of humanitarianism and international law needed to be adhered to in order to effectively address the plight befalling the people of Gaza. Although those criticisms have attempted to be assuaged by US and Israeli officials backing the GHF, a stunning development from within the humanitarian response group itself has validated concerns that the global community has raised in response to the US-Israel backed relief effort.

Jake Wood, the Executive Director of the GHF announced his resignation from the humanitarian relief group, echoing the criticisms brought against the foundation from its opponents. Wood announced his resignation with remarks that opened by reiterating his commitment to leading to the humanitarian effort in Gaza as the impetus for his work founding the GHF. However, he maligned the downward trajectory the foundation descended upon once it undertook that commitment. "It is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” Wood stated when explaining his decision to resign.

The GHF Board Of Director's issued a statement in response to Wood's resignation attempting to deflect away from the issues he raised using rhetoric resounding of a victim mentality:

“We were disappointed to learn of Jake Wood’s sudden resignation as Executive Director of GHF. He has been a passionate advocate for the need to safely deliver humanitarian assistance to Gazans without diversion or delay, and achieved real progress for the entire humanitarian community in the short time he was involved in this effort. The fact that aid is beginning to trickle back into Gaza is a testament to his work.

Unfortunately, from the moment GHF was announced, those who benefit from the status quo have been more focused on tearing this apart than on getting aid in, afraid that new, creative solutions to intractable problems might actually succeed.

We will not be deterred. Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Beginning Monday, May 26, GHF will begin direct aid delivery in Gaza, reaching over one million Palestinians by the end of the week. We plan to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead.

GHF will deliver a practical, immediate, and secure approach to delivering essential aid — one that ensures the dignity of Gazans and that is fully consistent with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. With time, we are confident that everyone will see that for themselves.”

Elements of the GHF plan at odds with the basic humanitarian principles Wood alluded to include the IDF's oversight of the distribution of aid. Under the plan, Israeli officials would pre-select families to accept aid distributed at designated sites in Gaza operated by private US security contractors. Other humanitarian groups have criticized the logistics of the GHF plan by pointing to how the number of distribution sites pales in comparison to that which is needed to adequately supply aid. Under the GHF's own admission, the aid it intends to deliver in the first phase of its relief effort will only be enough for 1 million Gazans, less than half the region's population.

The locations of the distribution sites under the directive of Israel has also raised concern about further violations of international law that would lead to the displacement of Palestinians by forcing them to move near where the aid is being distributed. Remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave credence to that grave concern. When briefing reports about the initial phase of the GHF plan, Netanyahu stated that 4 distribution sites would open, with 1 in central Gaza and the other 3 in the south. Netanyahu stated the locations of the designated aid sites were designed to move Gaza's population into a "sterile zone" in the far south of the strip.

When pressed about the forced relocation of residents to the south of the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu feebly attempted to assuage concern over the plan to relocate Gazans by stating that the measure was being taken for their safety. Netanyahu concluded that remark by saying the quiet part out loud, stating "they enter ​—​​​​​​ and they don’t necessarily go back.”

The intersectionality of the GHF plan to distribute aid to Gaza with the Israeli military objective to displace Palestinians from their homes is clearly demonstrated by the logistics of how aid distribution sites and the process for distributing the humanitarian aid have been coordinated. Those logistics give validity to the criticism by groups like the UN, which has been the entity primarily overseeing aid distribution since the onset of the war, that the GHF has been created to weaponize the response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to fulfill the interests of Israel and the US.

The resignation of Jake Wood, the now former executive director of the GHF, highlights how that concern is not limited to opponents of Israel. It is also felt within the upper echelons of the very foundation tasked with leading the humanitarian response in Gaza, validating accusations of the ulterior motives of Israel being behind its mission. That sentiment has also been espoused by opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu within Israel, including Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. The Knesset's Opposition Leader alleges that the Netanyahu regime is secretly backing the GHF through foreign front companies as a means of controlling the humanitarian response to help facilitate its military objectives. Critics with arguments similar to Lapid's point to how the GHF stated it had secured $100 million in funding from an anonymous donor after nations initially backing the group sought to distance themselves from it.

In the wake of Wood's resignation, the GHF has named its Head Of Mission John Acree as the foundation's interim Executive Director. Acree previously served as a Senior Country Representative stationed in Iraq within the Office Of Transition Initiatives at USAID.

Yet, the dysfunction within the upper echelons at the GHF isn't the only chaos the foundation finds itself mired in. Swiss authorities are also contemplating a formal investigation into the GHF after complaints were filed by the war crimes watchdog group TRIAL International. Following the filing of those complaints, GHF shuttered its offices in Switzerland where it was initially established. GHF has since relocated its offices to the US.

From dissent among its ranks to condemnation from the international community, the controversy that has followed the GHF since its inception has only increased as it has just only begun to start its operations within the Gaza Strip. With so much uncertainty amidst that chaos, the one thing that appears to be clear is that providing humanitarian aid to Gaza is the furthest thing from the real mission of the group.

Contributor posts published on Zero Hedge do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Zero Hedge, and are not selected, edited or screened by Zero Hedge editors.
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