American diplomat Witkoff scheduled for a trip to Gaza
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an NGO established by Israel with US support in early 2025, has come under scrutiny due to accusations of compromising humanitarian principles. UN experts have called for the immediate dismantling of the foundation, citing concerns over its structure and the entities involved in aid distribution.
The core controversy revolves around the perception of the GHF as a non-neutral instrument that may affect the impartial delivery of aid to Gaza's population. The UN experts' call raises concerns over the foundation's independence and legitimacy of operations.
Accusations against the GHF include aid seekers having to move through active combat zones and Israeli soldiers allegedly shooting into the crowd of aid seekers. The army denies these claims, but UN reports state that around 900 people have died in this manner.
Aid and human rights organizations accuse Israel of deliberately starving the population, considering this a war crime. These accusations, however, are rejected by the Israeli government.
The situation in Gaza remains tense, with around two million Palestinians living in the sealed coastal region. The World Health Organization has warned of a deadly hunger crisis in the area. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump has called for more food supplies for the needy civilian population.
Efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict have recently stalled, and the U.S. government has recalled its negotiating team from Qatar's capital, Doha. Amidst this, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and American Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, will visit the Gaza Strip tomorrow. Their visit aims to assess the situation on the ground and inspect distribution centers for aid supplies.
Larger aid deliveries were brought into the Gaza Strip by truck for the first time in months on Sunday. This visit comes after Witkoff met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, discussing the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, and Iran.
Despite the controversy, the US State Department spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, confirmed that the US also stands behind the foundation. The visit by Witkoff and Huckabee is expected to provide firsthand insights into the dire situation in the Gaza Strip and potentially pave the way for further aid deliveries.
[1] UN experts call for immediate dismantling of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - Reuters, 1st April 2025 [2] Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: UN experts call for dismantling - Al Jazeera, 1st April 2025
- The concerns surrounding the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's independence and legitimacy of operations have escalated, as UN experts' calls for dismantling the foundation are met with increasing scrutiny in the fields of war-and-conflicts, politics, and general-news.
- As the UN demands the immediate dismantling of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, allegations of compromised humanitarian principles and controversial aid distribution practices also raise questions about the foundation's involvement in crime-and-justice issues.
