Switzerland may investigate US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
Switzerland is considering whether to open a legal investigation into the activities of the Geneva-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-backed organisation planning to oversee aid distribution in the enclave, Swiss authorities told Reuters.
The decision comes after a Swiss NGO submitted a request for a probe into GHF's aid plan, which the UN has opposed on the grounds that it lacks impartiality and neutrality, contributes to the further displacement of Palestinians, and exposes thousands of people to harm.
The GHF told Reuters it "strictly adheres" to humanitarian principles and would not support any form of forced relocation of civilians.
Trial International said on Friday that it had filed two legal submissions asking Swiss authorities to investigate whether the Swiss-registered GHF is in compliance with Swiss law and international humanitarian law.
Global outrage has been steadily rising after Israel resumed its total blockade on Gaza 11 weeks ago, leaving nearly the entire population of 2.1 million Palestinians on the brink of starvation, with medicine and fuel supplies exhausted.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
The siege has led to warnings by a UN hunger monitoring mechanism and triggered unprecedented criticism from Israel's western allies, including the UK, Canada and France. Israel has allowed limited aid deliveries to resume this week amid the mounting pressure.
Aid organisations named in a leaked letter from GHF have sought to distance themselves from the controversial plan, which is expected to launch by the end of May.
Mercy Corps, Care International, Project Hope and Save the Children have confirmed that they spoke to GHF but had not entered into any agreements with the organisation.
The letter, dated 22 May and obtained by Middle East Eye, was sent by the foundation's executive director, Jake Wood, to Cogat, the Israeli military unit overseeing aid logistics in Gaza.
Forced displacement of the population
The latest apparent leak of a GHF document - the second one this month - comes as the organisation is under further scrutiny following investigations in The Washington Post and The New York Times, which raise questions about the organisation's ties to Israeli officials.
The aid distribution scheme would effectively replace all UN humanitarian relief in Gaza, with the GHF managing the delivery of aid to pre-screened Palestinians at several distribution centres in the southern part of the enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined the three-stage plan in a televised address on Wednesday.
The first stage involves the entry of "basic food supplies" into Gaza. The second entails the establishment of food distribution points, which will be managed by US companies and secured by the Israeli military. In the third stage, Netanyahu said Israel plans to create a "sterile zone" in southern Gaza, where civilians would be relocated from active combat zones.
However, UN officials have rejected the plan as an attempt to supplant the UN’s existing humanitarian distribution system in Gaza.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), told MEE that the scheme appears to be part of the Israeli army's intent to force the population from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip.
He said that the UN and other humanitarian organisations currently operate 400 food distribution points across Gaza. However, the new foundation is centralising aid delivery to designated areas in the south, requiring people to travel from across the enclave to access basic food and supplies before returning to their original locations.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
