Gaza Humanitarian Foundation May Be ‘Complicit in War Crimes’, Right Groups Say

Date: 25 June 2025 - 23:42

News ID: ۱۴۰۷۷۰

GAZA (Dispatches) – A group of 15 human rights and legal organizations has called for the suspension of aid operations by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), warning that the initiative, backed by the Zionist regime and the United States, may be complicit in international crimes.
The GHF, a recently launched and controversial aid distribution mechanism, commenced operations in Gaza on May 27, following nearly three months of an Israeli blockade on the entry of humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip.
The organizations criticized the GHF for a lack of “transparency, impartiality, and accountability”, citing concerns over its opaque structure and the absence of publicly available operational plans.
According to the letter, the new relief delivery method, which has sought to wrest distribution away from major aid groups led by the United Nations, is a “radical and dangerous shift away from established international humanitarian relief operations”.
It adds that the “privatized, militarized aid distribution” is one that is “dehumanizing, repeatedly deadly and contributes to the forced displacement of the very population it purports to help,” referencing the ongoing killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces near GHF aid points.
The 15 groups urged all organizations and individuals working or assisting GHF, including the private military contractors at the distribution hubs such as Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions, to end their operations.
“Failure to do so may expose these organizations and their officers, representatives, and agents to further risk of criminal and civil liability for aiding and abetting or otherwise being complicit in crimes under international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in violation of international law, US law and other relevant national laws under the principle of universal jurisdiction,” the letter warned.
“GHF’s militarized model, coupled with its close collaboration with Israeli authorities, undermines the core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”
The organizations also note that forcing starving Palestinians to walk long distances through militarized areas to obtain aid “creates an immediate risk of forced displacement that may violate the prohibition on forcible displacement of civilians”.
Established in February, GHF has come under growing criticism from rights groups and activists, including the United Nations.
The scheme has been accused of dehumanizing Palestinians and providing insufficient food, in addition to imperiling their life, as Zionist troops routinely open fire on the starving crowds.