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The head of a US-backed private humanitarian organisation that is tasked with distributing aid in Gaza using an Israeli-initiated plan resigned on Sunday.
In a statement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), executive director Jake Wood explained that he felt compelled to leave after determining the organisation could not fulfil its mission.
The former US Marine said he resigned because the organisation could not adhere “to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon”.
Despite the resignation, the agency said it will begin delivering aid to the besieged enclave on Monday. "We plan to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead," it added.
The foundation's board said it was "disappointed" by Mr Wood's decision and that he had achieved "real progress for the entire humanitarian community in the short time he was involved in this effort".
“Unfortunately, from the moment GHF was announced, those who benefit from the status quo have been more focused on tearing this apart than on getting aid in, afraid that new, creative solutions to intractable problems might actually succeed," it said.
“We will not be deterred. Our trucks are loaded and ready to go."
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, created in February, has been highly criticised by the UN, whose officials have said the foundation's aid distribution plans would only foment forced relocation of Palestinians and more violence.
Those plans, which had been set to begin by the end of May, were initiated by Israel and involve private companies – instead of the UN and aid groups who have handled Palestinian aid for decades – taking aid into Gaza to a limited number of so-called secure distribution sites, which Israel said would be in Gaza's south.
Mr Wood, earlier this month, wrote a letter to Israel, saying the foundation would not share any personally identifiable information of aid recipients with Israel.
He also asked Israel to enable the flow of enough aid “using existing modalities” until the foundation's infrastructure is fully operational.
The foundation, which has been based in Geneva since February, has pledged to distribute about 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operation.
No evidence
Gaza's population of about 2.3 million is at a critical risk of famine, and one in five Gazans are reported to be facing starvation after Israel stopped the entry of aid since March 2. The blockade, which Israel says it imposed to prevent Hamas from stealing supplies, has resulted in infant deaths from malnutrition, caused bakeries to shut down due to lack of fuel and flour, and left hospitals without enough medicine.
Israel and the US have frequently blamed looting by Hamas when justifying the delays in getting food into Gaza. Cindy McCain, the head of the UN World Food Programme, on Sunday denied claims that Hamas is looting food lorries.
Speaking to CBS News, Ms McCain was asked if she had seen any evidence that Hamas is stealing the small amounts of food that Israel is now allowing into Gaza after more than two months of a total blockade.
“No, not at all. Not in this round,” Ms McCain said. “These people (Gazans) are desperate. They see a World Food Programme lorry coming in and they run for it. This doesn't have anything to do with Hamas or any kind of organised crime or anything. This has simply to do with the fact these people are starving to death.”
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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More on Coronavirus in France
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
