US-backed Gaza aid group appoints evangelical pastor as new chairman
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Tuesday appointed an evangelical pastor with close ties to US President Donald Trump as its new leader.
Reverend Dr. Johnnie Moore was announced as the executive chairman following the recent resignation of Jake Wood last weekend, GHF announced in a statement.
Wood said GHF was not following “humanitarian principles.”
Moore was previously appointed by President Trump as a Commissioner on the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
“GHF is demonstrating that it is possible to move vast quantities of food to people who need it most—safely, efficiently, and effectively. I am honored to bring my experience to bear to help scale this vital mission and ensure the humanitarian aid community and the broader international community understand what’s taking place on the ground,” he said in a statement.
He said GHF believes that serving Gazans “with dignity and compassion must be the top priority” and welcomed others to join the effort.
The UN and other aid groups have criticized GHF, but Moore said false reporting of violence at the aid sites in Gaza has “a chilling effect on the local population, and we can think of no greater disservice to a community in dire need.”
At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation.
The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution center in Rafah. On June 1, some 32 people were killed and on Monday three people were killed, according to the UN.
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza’s war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting.
The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was “conducted safely and without incident within the site.”
The foundation’s aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles.
