By Yadnom Awu/Asaba
A coalition of 130 humanitarian organizations has called for the disbandment of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in Gaza.
The coalition said that the GHF falls short of the basic requirements of humanitarianism, and, instead, had become a concentration camp where aid seekers are regularly killed by Israeli troops.
The coalition includes Oxfam, Save The Children and Amnesty International.
They called for a return to the United Nations (UN) format of aid distribution which Israel and America created and funded the GHF to sidestep.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency UNRWA, which had been in charge since the 1950s, was sidestepped by the GHF after Israel accused it of collaborating with Hamas, which it tags a terrorist organization.
Israel did,not, however, provide the proof of its allegations , which other credible organizations had disputed.
More than 580 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 others wounded near or at the four aid distribution centres created and operated by the GHF since it took over aid distribution in May, this year.
Policy Lead of Oxfam, Bushra Khalidi, told the media that the four aid centres of the GHF were not only tools for the dehumanization of Palestinians, but had sustained a pattern of mass killings of aid seekers who pose no threat to Israel and its troops.
She added that by operating only four centres, relative to the 400 ran by UNRWA’ before the sidestep, the GHF had created concentration camps, instead of aid distribution centres.
Besides, the GHF mandate did not include providing water, shelter and fuel, all of which, she said, were in great need in Gaza.
America recently announced a $30 m ( about N4 billion) grant to the GHF which is operated by an armed private American group.
The call by the coalition came against the backdrop of a similar call by the Arab League for the sack of the GHF.
The United Nations (UN) Secretary General,Antonio Guterres had repeatedly called for the scrapping of the GHF and for reverting to the old UN – backed mechanism.
The founding head of the GHF, Jake Woods, resigned his post ahead of the commencement of operations by the foundation, citing opaqueness of its mandate.
