Head of US-Backed Gaza Aid Group Resigns, Citing “Humanitarian Principles”

U.S. military veteran Jake Wood has resigned from his position as executive director of the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) just weeks after its launch, amid heavy criticism from organizations that say that the U.S.- and Israel-backed group will hinder, not help, aid delivery in the starvation-stricken enclave.

Wood cited concerns over violations of “humanitarian principles” in implementing the work of the foundation, which has been denounced by the UN and other major humanitarian groups who have fought for the right to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza for the past 20 months, and for years before the genocide.

“I am proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza,” said Wood in a statement on Monday.

“However, it is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” the former U.S. marine went on. “I urge Israel to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms.”

The group said in a statement after Wood’s resignation that it is beginning aid delivery in Gaza despite Wood’s resignation.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that the foundation, in collaboration with a private U.S. military company, is beginning operation of two aid centers. Shortly after they opened, reports found that shots had been fired at one of the aid points as large crowds of ailing Palestinians gathered in hopes of receiving aid.

Though Wood cited humanitarian concerns for his resignation, he perhaps ignored that the U.S.-Israel plan for GHF has been condemned since the moment it was announced as a way for Israel to further its control over Gaza and push out any entities not entirely at the whim of Israeli leaders.

Indeed, just after the plan was announced earlier this month, the UN said that the operation “does not accord with our basic principles, including those of impartiality, neutrality [and] independence.”

Still, Wood defended the plan in the media, insisting that it was the only way to ensure that Palestinians get the aid they need — without acknowledging Israel’s singular role in denying aid and creating the current humanitarian catastrophe.

On Tuesday, the UN once again denounced the operation, calling it a “distraction from what is actually needed” and reiterating that no UN entities will be participating in the scheme.

Indeed, as Israel touts the opening of the distribution points, UN officials have highlighted that they still have thousands of trucks of aid that are waiting at the border for entry.

“We have over 3,000 trucks, not only of food, but also medicines that are lining up in places like Jordan, like Egypt, that are waiting for the green light to go in, and they’re carrying medicines and that is expiring soon,” said UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) spokesperson ​​Juliette Touma.

The collaboration with the GHF is yet another way that the Israeli government seeks to push the UN and established humanitarian groups out of Gaza.

In a letter released Tuesday, UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini again urged Israel to end its “disinformation campaign” against the agency — the central group providing and coordinating aid for Palestinians. Israel has not provided a shred of evidence for its claims against the agency, Lazzarini said, in over 20 months of accusations of criminality that the government is nonetheless using to disenfranchise the agency.