GFH and the new aid distribution strategy have also been roundly condemned by leading humanitarian groups and the United Nations who have warned that Palestinians could be further displaced if they are forced to make their way to distribution sites. They have also suggested it could pose a threat to the independence of humanitarian work.
GHF said Tuesday that the Rev. Johnnie Moore, an evangelical leader who has been an adviser to President Donald Trump, had been installed as its executive chairman.
His “appointment comes as GHF’s momentum on the ground in Gaza accelerates,” the organization said in a news release Tuesday, adding that since launching operations in the enclave May 26, its team had delivered more than 7 million meals “without incident.” It maintained that there had been “no incidents of violence recorded at distribution sites.”
But ahead of its operation in Gaza, GHF’s then-executive director, Jake Wood, quit the organization saying in a statement published by Reuters that it was impossible to implement the plan while also adhering to the “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”
Humanitarian groups have warned that while aid has been distributed under GHF, not nearly enough food and other vital supplies are getting into the enclave, which has a population of around 2.1 million, under the new aid system.
“The basic needs of the population in Gaza are enormous and are not being met,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Tuesday as he called for the “unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance at scale” to be restored.
Victoria Di Gioacchino contributed.
