Aid group suspends operations in Gaza after ceasefire

The controversial US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has confirmed that it has suspended its operations in Gaza after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into force on 10 October.

Although it is funded until November, the organization said its final delivery is on Friday.

The GHF was heavily criticized after hundreds of Palestinians were killed while collecting food near distribution sites. Witnesses said most were killed by Israeli forces.

Israel regularly denies that its troops have fired on civilians at or near the sites, and the GHF maintains that aid distribution at its sites has taken place “without incident.”

The group’s northernmost aid distribution site, known as SDS4, was closed because it was no longer in IDF-controlled territory, a spokesman said.

Satellite images revealed it was dismantled shortly after the October 10 ceasefire took effect. Images show tire tracks, destroyed ground and debris strewn across the former compound.

“We are currently on hiatus,” said the GHF spokesperson. “We feel there is still a need, a wave of as much aid as possible. Our goal is to resume the distribution of aid.”

Despite the group’s apparent desire to continue, there has been speculation that the final terms of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel will exclude them.

Meanwhile, an analysis of data provided by the United Nations shows little change in aid collected from crossing points since the ceasefire agreement came into effect last Friday.

The average amount of aid “collected” – defined by the United Nations as when it leaves an Israeli-controlled crossing – each day increased slightly from the previous week, but remained in line with September’s figures.

UN figures show that around 20% of aid leaving the crossing has reached its destination as of May 19. More than 7,000 aid trucks have been “intercepted” either “peacefully by hungry people or forcibly by armed actors,” according to UN figures.

Aid sources told the BBC they hoped looting would ease in the coming weeks once law and order was restored and the population was given assurances that the truce would be maintained.

A spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that while it was crucial that the truce allows aid and other essential supplies to increase, it was important to reach vulnerable Gazans, including in areas that were previously inaccessible.

OCHA has hundreds of community and household services that are involved in the distribution of aid. He lost access to many, sometimes due to conflict and sometimes due to Israel denying access.

“We need to rebuild our service points, we need to reduce looting, we need the roads to be cleared of unexploded ordnance and we need safety guarantees,” the OCHA spokesperson said.