Israel’s Gaza Aid Plan Collapses Amid Legal Scandal and International Rejection
French outlet Mediapart reveals the disintegration of the Israeli-backed GHF project, accused of violating humanitarian norms and exploiting aid for political leverage.
Watan-Under the headline “Gaza Humanitarian Aid: Israel’s Failed Plan and the Collapse of a Suspicious Organization,” French news site Mediapart reported that Israel’s months-long plan to take over humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza has collapsed.
The Israeli-backed “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF), which was supposed to be the face of the new system, ceased operations before officially launching. Its CEO, Jack Wood, resigned on May 25, declaring that the foundation could not uphold the core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, integrity, and independence.
GHF was founded in Switzerland in February and was intended to replace UN agencies and international NGOs in the aid distribution process. However, most major humanitarian organizations—including the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO)—refused to participate, describing the project as militarized and contrary to international norms, according to Mediapart.
Biometric Aid Under Armed Surveillance
Between March and mid-May, Israel imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza. It later unveiled a new aid plan based on centralized distribution hubs, mostly in the southern part of the strip, overseen by the American private security firm SRS.
The plan aimed to sideline international organizations and require Palestinians to submit biometric data in exchange for aid. This drew strong opposition from the humanitarian community, who warned that it would displace civilians, worsen chaos, and violate international humanitarian law.
There were also allegations of ties between SRS and Israeli military figures close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
False Claims and Legal Backlash
From the beginning, GHF was shrouded in secrecy. Though it claimed support from high-profile figures like David Beasley and Nat Mok, both later denied any involvement.
On May 22, GHF claimed that major organizations had joined its efforts. However, Save the Children publicly refuted this, saying it had no ties to the foundation.
The final blow came from TRIAL International, a Swiss legal watchdog, which called on judicial authorities to investigate GHF’s compliance with international law and the Geneva Conventions.
A Rebranded U.S. Front in Delaware
Following the Swiss collapse, a new version of GHF appeared, registered in the U.S. state of Delaware—a known tax and legal haven. This entity is not registered as a nonprofit, raising concerns that the so-called humanitarian effort may have purely commercial or political objectives, Mediapart reports.
Aid as a Weapon, Not a Lifeline
Israel’s plan to create a parallel humanitarian system to replace respected international organizations has failed, faced with widespread rejection by the global humanitarian community.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s population remains under extreme humanitarian crisis, with aid used as a tool of political pressure, in clear violation of international humanitarian law, concludes Mediapart.
