|
A series of international press reports renewed scrutiny of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and its operations. This week two US contractors working with the GHF accused the organization of “dangerous and irresponsible practices” including firing bullets indiscriminately and in the direction of unarmed Palestinians. They also said that much of GHF’s staff were “unqualified and unvetted” with little to know oversight or accountability. Speaking on the condition of anonymity one of the contractors told the Associated Press “that there are innocent people being hurt, badly. Needlessly.” The contractors released videos in which a US contractor can be heard shouting, “I think I hit one,” after a barrage of gun fire, another contractor can be heard responding, “Hell, yeah.” GHF officials and their partner organization Safe Research Solutions denied the accusations claiming that no Palestinians have been injured collecting aid at their distribution hubs while claiming that most of the criticisms were manufactured by Hamas, which wants to control humanitarian aid. France 24 published an in depth report on the GHF and its partners revealing that is primarily staffed by a network of military veterans and former intelligence officials, many of whom are aligned with the evangelical Christian movement in the US. The reports emerged shortly after the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli soldiers had been ordered by their commanding officers on unarmed Palestinians in Gaza waiting to collect humanitarian aid. Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the claims, as did the Defense Minister Israel Katz who called the claim a “blood libel.” A UN official described the operation as “blood for food” speaking on the condition of anonymity. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that move than 500 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid at GHF distribution sites and another 4000 have been wounded. The British news outlet Sky News reported that there has been a correlation between GHF operations and civilians deaths in Gaza. These reports are the latest in a series that have mired the organization in controversy.
|
