The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has
called for urgent clarification regarding a recent UN meeting with the Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial aid group backed by Israel and
the United States. The meeting has sparked significant concern among UN
agencies and humanitarian experts due to GHF’s alleged militarised operations
and the severe humanitarian impact on Gaza’s population.
UNRWA Calls for Transparency Over UN Engagement with Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
As reported by The New Humanitarian on 13 August 2025, UNRWA
has expressed serious concerns and demands urgent clarification about a meeting
held between several UN agencies and large aid organisations with the Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The meeting marks a departure from months of
strained relations between the United Nations and the GHF, which was created by
Israel in February 2025 with support from the United States to deliver aid in
Gaza.
The meeting, described by UNOCHA’s Joyce Msuya and
InterAction’s Tom Hart as “constructive and open” in an email obtained by
Devex, was seen as an attempt to lower public tension and explore ways to
operate in complementary manners despite ongoing controversies.
GHF’s Controversial Role in Gaza’s Aid Distribution
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, designed to replace
previous United Nations agencies’ aid distribution functions, notably those of
UNRWA, has attracted widespread condemnation. UN experts, human rights
organisations, and humanitarian officials have repeatedly criticised the GHF
for its militarised distribution model, which has led to over 1,400 deaths and
thousands of injuries near its aid sites since late May 2025.
UN experts described GHF’s operations as
“an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law”
and
warned that the involvement of Israeli intelligence and US contractors under
the guise of humanitarian aid demands urgent international oversight.
UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, as
highlighted in statements on 1 July 2025, sharply condemned the foundation,
noting that since GHF’s inception, over 500 starving people have been killed
and nearly 4,000 injured while struggling to access food. He emphasised that
the scheme has reduced Gaza’s aid distribution points from 400 to merely four
militarised sites.
Humanitarian Crisis Worsens Amid Blockade and Conflict
UN reports indicate that Gaza has been suffering from a
complete blockade of aid and commercial goods since 2 March 2025, with severe
consequences for the civilian population of over two million people. The United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) outlined how
telecommunications blackout and denied humanitarian movements have crippled aid
delivery and response coordination.
UNRWA and partners have repeatedly warned that the war,
blockade, and militarised aid distribution have created a "recipe for
chaos," resulting in starvation, fear, discrimination, and desperation
among civilians. The agency insisted on lifting the siege to allow UN-led
humanitarian agencies to operate safely and at scale.
Tom Fletcher, the UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator, stressed,
“Hunger must never be met with bullets,”
condemning attacks on
civilians, including those seeking and delivering aid, which violate
international humanitarian principles.
Expert Calls for Immediate Dismantling of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
On 5 August 2025, UN human rights experts voiced grave
concern over GHF’s operations, describing the group’s activities as deeply
problematic and contradictory to international humanitarian law which requires
aid to be delivered impartially and neutrally.
The experts reminded that Israel, as the occupying power
under international law, has binding obligations to protect civilians and
ensure essential services, but the establishment of GHF—a mechanism seen as an
extension of militarised control—undermines these principles.
They called for the immediate dismantling of the Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation, highlighting the tragic toll of over 60,000 deaths in
Gaza amidst forced displacement and severe famine conditions. Reports from
Gaza’s Ministry of Health recorded 180 deaths due to malnutrition, including 93
children, underscoring the urgency of restoring protective and neutral
humanitarian aid.
UN and International Community Reactions
The United Nations Security Council and various member
states have affirmed the critical role of UNRWA as the backbone of the
humanitarian response in Gaza, insisting no organisation can substitute its
mandate and capacity. Denmark, for example, has expressed full support for
UNRWA’s leadership and condemned any measures that obstruct its operations,
urging compliance with international law by Israel to facilitate unimpeded
humanitarian assistance.
Amid wide condemnation of the blockade and militarised aid distribution, the UN continues to advocate for restoring a unified, UN-led coordination of aid based on international humanitarian law principles, consistent with UNRWA’s mandate.
The demand by UNRWA for urgent clarification over the recent
UN engagement with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reflects deep tensions
within the humanitarian community regarding the conduct and governance of aid
operations amidst the Gaza crisis. The GHF's militarised approach and the
associated high civilian casualties have provoked widespread condemnation from
UN officials, experts, and humanitarian organisations.
Multiple UN agencies and member states reiterate the
necessity of returning humanitarian aid delivery to UN-led, neutral, and
impartial mechanisms to ensure safety, dignity, and effective relief for the
people of Gaza. Calls for dismantling the GHF highlight the critical need for
international oversight to prevent the exploitation of humanitarian aid for
military or political ends, and to uphold fundamental humanitarian principles
during the ongoing conflict and blockade.