UNITED NATIONS/GENEVA(Reuters) -An organization backed by Israel and the United States began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations rejects as inadequate, dangerous and a violation of impartiality rules.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was launched after Israel imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza for nearly three months, which the United Nations says brought the enclave's 2.3 million people to the verge of famine.
Israel says the previous system for distributing food, established decades ago and ramped up during the war, had allowed Hamas militants to divert aid.
The GHF's stated aim is to alleviate hunger. But the plan has been criticised for sidestepping existing aid programmes, and is under scrutiny after scores of Palestinians were killed in shootings while trying to obtain aid from its sites.
WHAT IS THE GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION?
The GHF was launched last month, backed by the American and Israeli governments, and bypasses traditional relief groups.
The foundation has said it intends to work with private U.S. security and logistics firms. The GHF has already received more than $100 million in commitments, a source familiar with the situation said. The GHF has not disclosed its funding sources.
Senior U.S. officials worked with Israel to enable the GHF to start work, acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea told the Security Council, urging the U.N. and aid groups to cooperate. Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, says it is facilitating the GHF's work without being involved in aid deliveries.
Last week the GHF named Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, an American evangelical Christian leader and former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its executive chairman. He replaced Jake Wood, a U.S. military veteran, who announced his resignation on the eve of the GHF's May 26 launch, saying the foundation could not adhere to humanitarian principles.
HOW DOES THE NEW PLAN WORK?
The foundation has opened three distribution sites, including two in Gaza's Rafah area near the southern border with Egypt, and one in central Gaza. More sites are planned as well as mechanisms to get aid to those who cannot access them, the foundation says.
It said on June 5 it had distributed more than 130,000 boxes of aid. However, distribution was disrupted after deadly shootings near aid sites which Palestinian health officials say killed scores of people over three days.
The Israeli military said its forces opened fire on groups they viewed as a threat and who approached their positions.
GHF has said its top priority is ensuring the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid.
WHY WON'T THE U.N. WORK WITH THE NEW DISTRIBUTION MODEL?
The United Nations says the U.S.-backed distribution plan does not meet its long-held principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence.
U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher has said time should not be wasted on the proposal, which he said would force further displacement, expose people to harm and restrict aid to one part of Gaza.
Since the shootings, U.N. criticism has intensified, with officials saying that the paucity of sites and dangers accessing them mean that the most vulnerable are excluded, including the wounded, older people and young children who are too weak from hunger to travel there.
James Elder, a UNICEF spokesperson who met Gazans trying to obtain GHF provisions, said that some of those who left the sites empty-handed had walked up to 20 km to get there and showed visible signs of malnourishment like exposed ribs.
By contrast, during a two-month ceasefire at the start of this year, the United Nations and partners had around 400 distribution sites, handed out nutrition supplies door-to-door and prepared fresh meals.
Some officials also questioned the contents of the GHF food boxes, saying they are insufficient and require cooking when clean water and fuel is scarce.
Other aid groups like the Red Cross have called the system unsatisfactory, saying aid should not be politicised and militarised. Maps shared by the Israeli government and the U.N. showed the GHF sites located within Israeli-militarised zones.
WHY HAS AN ALTERNATIVE AID DISTRIBUTION PLAN BEEN PROPOSED?
Israel stopped all aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2 after accusing Hamas of stealing aid, which the Palestinian militants deny.
In early April, Israel proposed what it described as "a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism" for Gaza. It was swiftly rejected by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Pressure grew on Israel to allow aid deliveries to resume, especially after a global hunger monitor warned of famine. Amid the stalemate over Israel's plan, Washington backed the newly-created GHF.
Israel has also allowed some limited aid deliveries to resume under the existing distribution model, whereby it first inspects and approves aid which is then picked up and distributed by the United Nations.
However, the global body complains that most mission requests since late May have been denied or impeded by Israel, and is calling for it to open more crossings and ease restrictions.
(Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Jersualem and Tom Perry in CairoEditing by Alexandra Hudson, Rod Nickel, Peter Graff)
By Michelle Nichols and Emma Farge
