Charities urge shutdown of US- and Israel-backed Gaza aid group aljazeera.com

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More than 130 humanitarian organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Amnesty International, have demanded the immediate closure of the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), accusing it of facilitating attacks on starving Palestinians.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the NGOs said Israeli forces and armed groups “routinely” open fire on civilians attempting to access food.

“Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families,” the statement said. “Orphaned children and caregivers are among the dead, with children harmed in over half of the attacks on civilians at these sites.”

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Gaza City, Palestinian civil society leader Amjad Shawa said the aid mechanism is not providing sufficient supplies for hungry families, and also pressures people to move towards southern Gaza.

“They are delivering tiny portions of food – a few energy bars, some oil, rice, and flour – barely enough to last two or three days,” he said. “This isn’t a proper meal. It risks deepening malnutrition in Gaza.”

Shawa argued that positioning the GHF distribution points mainly in southern and eastern Gaza reflects a deliberate strategy to drive people out of the north, aligning with wider Israeli military objectives. “It’s a calculated effort to push Palestinians further south,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said on Monday that there had been no contact from Israel for weeks. “We are determined to seek a ceasefire that will save our people, and we are working with mediators to open the crossings,” he said.