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Rabat — Palestinians in Gaza began the first day of June with yet another massacre, as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) opened fire on starved civilians gathered at aid distribution sites run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Rafah, with more reported dead in central Gaza.
The GHF, which began operations just last week, was established to deliver food, water, and medical supplies directly to the besieged population — thus bypassing traditional United Nations channels. However, unlike UN agencies grounded in principles of neutrality and impartiality, the GHF functions through private contractors, American entities, and under direct Israeli oversight — the same actors complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The foundation runs four distribution points across Gaza — three in the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp in the south and one in central Gaza. All four have already been targeted by Israeli attacks in GHF’s first week of operation, drawing criticism and suspicion, fueling widespread accusations that Israel is weaponizing food — using aid as bait to lure starving civilians only to murder them.
Afeef Nessouli, a volunteer with the medical aid organization Gila International, told Al Jazeera that the GHF has failed to deliver even the limited aid permitted by Israel. “The GHF has not been successful to this day and has even seemed to target Palestinians when they are extremely hungry as they try to get aid,” he said.
The GHF’s failure — whether by design or dysfunction — was anticipated even before its launch. Just hours before aid distribution was set to begin on May 25, GHF head Jake Wood abruptly resigned, citing concerns that the operation could not uphold humanitarian principles.
Wood, a US military veteran with prior experience in humanitarian operations, had helped build the GHF by crafting what he called “a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs.” But in his resignation, he made 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.”
Meanwhile, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), the UN’s main agency supporting Palestinian refugees, reported that the roughly 900 aid trucks allowed into Gaza over the past two weeks account for just 10% of the daily necessities.
“The aid that’s being sent now makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding under our watch,” said Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, urging Israel to grant UN agencies, including UNRWA and its humanitarian partners, the access needed to fulfill their mandate and preserve Palestinian dignity.
Founded in 1949, UNRWA has long been central to Palestinian rights — including the right of return. However, several Western governments cut funding to the agency in 2024 after Israel made unsubstantiated claims linking some of its staff to the October 7 attacks.
In line with its broader campaign of targeting civilians, journalists, medical personnel, and aid workers, Israel has killed more than 300 UNRWA staff members since October 2023 – either killed while serving their communities or alongside their children and loved ones.
