The “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation”, backed by the United States, has announced a temporary closure of all its aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, for security reasons. The Foundation indicated, in a statement on its official Facebook page, that it took this decision in order to preserve the safety of the population, without specifying the period of suspension of distribution operations, which coincided with the approaching Eid Al -Adha.
In a related context, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) criticized the method of distributing aid in Gaza outside the framework of international bodies, considering that it is “ineffective and poses a threat to the lives of civilians.”
“This model for distributing aid can only be described as calling people to their death,” said UNRWA spokeswoman Juliet Touma, in comments reported by CNN.
Toma added that the agency’s work during the ceasefire periods proved its effectiveness and its ability to reach the affected population.
It is noteworthy that the institution, which was established last February and its headquarters in Geneva, started the distribution of food in Gaza on May 26, but its operations were subsequently stopped due to the security chaos that accompanied the distribution, including shooting that caused civilian casualties.
The United Nations had announced earlier its refusal to cooperate with the Foundation, considering that its activities “violate the basic humanitarian principles”, especially since the distribution of aid is taking place under the direct supervision of the Israeli army and is mainly concentrated in the southern Gaza Strip.
This comes in light of the continued Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip since last March, after the truce collapsed with Hamas, and the resumption of military operations that included new and declared incursions into a number of areas.
