NewsHail
26 May 2025
The head of a group made to give aid in Gaza has quit. Jake Wood led the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). He said the plan does not follow key aid rules like being fair, neutral, and independent.
The aid plan was backed by Israel and the U.S. It uses private workers to give aid at spots chosen by Israel. The UN does not support the plan and says it will not join.
Israel says this plan stops Hamas from taking the aid. Hamas says they do not steal aid.
The plan makes people in Gaza pick up 20kg boxes from four places in the south. These boxes have food and soap. But many weak, sick, or hurt people may not be able to carry them.
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the plan could push people to move again. He said it also limits aid to one area and turns hunger into a tool.
Jake Wood is a former U.S. Marine. He joined GHF two months ago. He wanted to help with the hunger crisis in Gaza. He made a plan to feed people and keep the aid safe.
But he now says it’s not possible to follow aid rules while using this plan. So, he quit.
GHF said they will keep going without Wood. They plan to start giving aid on Monday and want to help one million people this week. They say people are trying to stop new ideas that might work.
An Israeli official said the goal is to stop Gaza’s people from depending on Hamas.
Israel recently allowed some food and medicine into Gaza after an 11-week block. But the UN says it is not enough. They said 57 children died from hunger during the block. The World Food Programme said the whole area may soon starve.
Jan Egeland from the Norwegian Refugee Council said the plan is too controlled by the military. He wants to return to the old aid system.
The New York Times said the GHF may have been started by Israeli leaders and business people.
UN children’s group member Jonathan Crick asked how weak people can carry 20kg boxes for many miles. He said many like moms, the sick, and orphans will find it hard to get help.
Israel started its attacks in Gaza after Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. That attack killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Since then, more than 53,900 people have died in Gaza, including over 16,500 children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
