US-backed Gaza aid group chief quits
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s (GHF) Executive Director Jake Wood resigned from his post, citing an inability to implement an independent aid delivery plan in the war-torn area without violating core humanitarian principles.
The US-backed Gaza aid group has promised to distribute around 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operation.
The United Nations and international aid agencies have refused to cooperate with GHF, accusing it of working with Israel while lacking any Palestinian involvement.
What Jake Wood said
In a statement, Wood said that he was “horrified and heartbroken” by the hunger crisis in Gaza and he had sought to build a neutral, secure mechanism to get food to civilians.
“Two months ago, I was approached about leading GHF’s efforts because of my experience in humanitarian operations,” Wood said. “Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering.”
He further said that it had become “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.”
Wood has urged Israel to “significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms”.
He also urged all stakeholders to pursue “innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion, or discrimination”.
The Geneva-based aid group expressed its disappointment over Wood’s resignation, but said that it would not be deterred.
“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Beginning Monday, May 26, GHF will begin direct aid delivery in Gaza aid group, reaching over one million Palestinians by the end of the week. We plan to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead,” GHF said in a statement.
On Sunday, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that at least 3,785 people had been killed in Israeli attacks in the territory since a ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,939.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, that triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to news agency AFP.
Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom are still in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead, it said.