Resignation of the head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
Jake Wood, the head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the new humanitarian foundation created from scratch and backed by Washington to distribute aid in the Gaza Strip, has announced that he is stepping down with immediate effect, citing violations of humanitarian principles.
Jake Wood, a US military veteran and former executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), stepped down weeks after the program’s May launch, stating he could not reconcile its operations with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
However, it is 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, he was quoted by CNN as saying.
The GHF – criticized by UN agencies for potentially endangering civilians – expressed disappointment over Wood’s resignation, accusing opponents of prioritizing tearing this apart over getting aid in.
In its reaction to Wood’s resignation, GHF also said it will begin deliveries of aid in Gaza on Monday, with plans to scale up rapidly to bring food for the full population in the weeks ahead.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said it remained supportive of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s plans to begin to deliver aid soon and underscored that U.S. President Donald Trump had said the Palestinians badly needed help.
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The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, set up in February, has been highly criticized by the United Nations, whose officials have said its aid distribution plans would only foment forced relocation of Palestinians and more violence.
That plan, originally set to begin by the end of May, was initiated by Israel and involves private companies, instead of the U.N. and aid groups which have handled Palestinian aid for decades, transporting aid into Gaza to a limited number of so-called secure distribution sites, which Israel said would be in Gaza’s south.
This month wood told Israeli authorities in a letter the foundation would not share any personally identifiable information of aid recipients.
Wood also asked Israel to facilitate the flow of enough aid using existing modalities until the foundation’s infrastructure was fully operational.
He said it was essential to alleviate distress and ease pressure on distribution sites during the foundation’s first days of operation.
