US-backed group closes all aid distribution sites after deadly Israeli attacks

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM /ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced Friday that it has closed all of its aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, urging residents to stay away for their safety.

“All aid distribution centers are closed. Please keep away for your own safety. Announcements about reopening will be made on this page,” the foundation said in a Facebook post.

The statement came as the Israeli army declared specific hours – from 06:00 to 18:00 local time (GMT+3) – during which Palestinians in Gaza would be allowed to access humanitarian aid centers.

Outside of those hours, the military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X that the areas would be considered a “closed military zone,” and entry would pose “a grave danger to your lives.”

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which claimed on Thursday to have distributed over 8.4 million meals since launching in the Strip, has faced criticism over its opaque funding and ties to Israeli and American authorities.

However, no evidence has been independently verified by humanitarian agencies.

The foundation’s stated aim was to distribute 4.5 million meals per day.

Since Israel launched its current assault on Gaza, more than 1.5 million of the territory’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced. Despite international appeals, Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings nearly sealed since March 2, allowing only a trickle of aid trucks – far below the 500-truck minimum needed daily.

On May 27, Israel began implementing a controversial plan to distribute aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, bypassing UN oversight. Palestinians have denounced the move as a coercive tactic to force displacement from northern to southern Gaza.

As of Friday, Gaza’s government media office reported that 110 Palestinians had been killed and 583 others injured since May 27 near these so-called aid centers targeted by Israeli fire.

Israel, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a genocidal offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.