UN Rejects US-Backed Gaza Aid Plan Amid Rising Deaths

Israel and the United States want the United Nations to work with a new group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to give aid to people in Gaza. But the U.N. has said no. The U.N. believes the way GHF gives out aid is unsafe, unfair, and pushes people into danger.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Any plan that brings desperate people into dangerous areas is not safe. It is killing people.”

Guterres also said U.N. aid efforts are being blocked, aid workers are going hungry, and Israel—because it controls Gaza—is responsible for allowing and helping aid reach people there.

“People are dying just trying to find food,” Guterres said. “Looking for food should not cost people their lives. We need a ceasefire in Gaza.”

Since Israel ended an 11-week blockade on May 19 and allowed limited U.N. aid back into Gaza, over 400 Palestinians have been killed while trying to get aid. Many of them were going to GHF aid centers, a senior U.N. official said.

U.N. and Israel Disagree Over Gaza Aid Efforts

In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the U.N. is trying to block the work of GHF. It accused the U.N. of helping Hamas by doing so.

GHF, however, denied the U.N.’s claims. A GHF spokesperson said no one has died at their aid centers and accused the U.N. of spreading false information.

“Our aid is reaching people safely,” the GHF spokesperson said. “Instead of arguing, we invite the U.N. and other groups to join us in helping people in Gaza.”

GHF is run by private American companies that provide security and transport. It started working in Gaza on May 26 and says it has given out over 48 million meals. The U.S. government recently gave GHF $30 million and asked other countries to support it too.