Head of US-Israeli aid agency for Gaza resigns over lack of 'humanitarian principles'

One in five Gazans is reported to be facing starvation after Israel stopped the entry of aid

Israelis try to block aid from entering Gaza. AFP

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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.

Palestinians react after the food ran out at a charity kitchen in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP

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.

Following widespread rejection of the US-Israeli plan by the UN, the UK, MSF, the Norwegian Refugee Council and others, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was “open” to an alternative, as long as the aid does not fall into the hands of Hamas.

An injured Gazan boy at his family's tent in a school in Gaza city. AP

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.”