The UN has said that it has no information on whether the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) had actually distributed any aid in Gaza, as the US-backed group announced yesterday.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Spokesperson of the UN humanitarian office, Jens Laerke labelled the reported operations of the GHF “a distraction.”
“What is actually needed is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure environment within Gaza, and faster facilitation of missions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border and needs to get in.”
Jens Laerke
The Spokesperson also called for an end to Israeli curbs on the kind of aid being allowed to enter Gaza, which he said was being “cherry-picked” and did not always match needs.
Separately, UNRWA Spokeswoman, Juliette Touma told the same briefing via videolink that UN agencies do not “have any information” about the delivery of any supplies by the GHF into the besieged territory. “We know what’s needed, we know what’s missing, and we are very, very far from that daily target,” Touma said.
“The needs are 500-600 trucks at a minimum that should go into Gaza, loaded with supplies. Not only food but also medicine, medical supplies, vaccines for children, fuel, water and other basics for people’s survival.”
Juliette Touma
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation released pictures of aid distributions taking place in Israeli-controlled areas of southern Gaza, amid criticism that the organisation is using humanitarian relief as a political tool.
Separately, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement rejected the US-backed aid distribution mechanism, saying it was “another ugly manifestation of the policy of starvation and siege aimed at breaking the will of our people and humiliating them.”
In a statement, it said that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was a “security institution” aimed at “tampering with [Gaza’s] social fabric.”
It called on Palestinians not to engage with the organisation, saying that it promoted Israel’s goal of occupying Palestinian territory.
Germany, Finland Urge Aid Pressure On Israel
Meanwhile, the leaders of Germany and Finland urged the international community to ramp up pressure on Israel to allow immediate humanitarian aid into Gaza, as civilians in the besieged territory continue to face severe shortages of food and medicine.
German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz said during a visit to Helsinki, “We must put pressure on Israel to ensure the aid truly reaches its target,” describing the suffering in Gaza as “excessive” and calling for urgent action.
Merz added that it is also crucial that Hamas must not prevent humanitarian aid from arriving. “I no longer understand what the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip, with what goal,” he stated, adding that the effect on civilians in Gaza “can no longer be justified.”
For his part, Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo echoed Merz’s appeal, also telling reporters in Helsinki that the situation in Gaza is a “terrible human catastrophe” that demands swift international response.
Similarly, German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul voiced his shock at the Israeli campaign in Gaza, where people are unable to access food and medicine.
“Our committed fight against anti-Semitism and our full support for the right to exist and the security of the state of Israel must not be instrumentalised for the conflict and the warfare currently being waged in the Gaza Strip.
“We are now at a point where we have to think very carefully about what further steps to take.”
Johann David Wadephul
READ ALSO: APC Leader Lauds Mahama’s Economic Reset, Pushes for Price Reduction
