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US Foundation Eyes Takeover Of Gaza Aid

US-backed Gaza foundation proposal to keep aid from Hamas, but critics slam bypass of UN, Israeli threat to besieged Palestinian civilians. The United States says a new foundation is being established to coordinate aid deliveries to Gaza amid Israel’s two-month blockade of the Strip. The development comes as Israeli attacks continue to target civilians. At least 18 Palestinians were killed in a series of attacks on Friday, medical sources in Gaza told Al Jazeera. They include a mother and child in Al Nuseirat Refugee Camp in central Gaza, and a father and son killed in Khan Younis in the south. US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told reporters on Friday that Israel would not be involved in distributing aid in the enclave but would provide security for the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The plan for the “charitable” and “non-governmental” initiative was announced on Thursday by State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. Although few details were revealed, it appears part of a US-Israeli push to take over the distribution of aid to prevent it from being diverted by Hamas and other groups. The AP news agency reported that the newly created GHF had issued a proposal to implement a new aid distribution system, supplanting the current one run by the United Nations and other international aid agencies. Reports claim that under the proposal, private contractors will be used to secure hubs where Palestinians will be required to gather to collect supplies. Israel, which has halted the entry of all aid to Gaza since March 2, deepening the humanitarian crisis, has previously said it will not relax the blockade until a system is in place that gives it control over the distribution, insisting that supplies are used to support Hamas. The intention to sideline the UN has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian organisations, and it is unclear if the GHF proposal will ease those concerns. “There’s only one word to describe this, and this is aid-washing. This is a cynical attempt by the state of Israel and its allies … to use aid to hide the fact that what’s actually going on is people are being starved into submission,” Chris Gunness, a former UNWRA – the UN agency for Palestinian refugees – spokesperson, told Al Jazeera. “They’re being starved as a part of the mass and illegal force displacement, which is very much part of Israel’s genocidal ambitions against the Palestinians.” Gunness added that the proposal is also an “attempt by Israel to destroy UNRWA”, stating that UNRWA is the only organisation that has the infrastructure, the staff, the vehicles, the food distribution centres and warehouses “to stave off mass starvation in Gaza”. The US State Department’s Bruce promised further announcements regarding the proposal would follow soon. “I was hoping to introduce it today, but the foundation will be announcing this shortly,” she said. The former executive director of the UN World Food Programme David Beasley is in talks with the US, Israel and other key players to head the GHF, reported US outlet Axis, quoting unnamed sources. Israel’s blockade, implemented about two weeks before it resumed its bombardment of the enclave, has left Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, most of whom have been displaced multiple times, desperately short of food, fuel, and medicine. The US plan appears to be designed along similar lines to a proposal approved by Israel’s security cabinet on Sunday. Under the scheme, four “Secure Distribution Sites” would be constructed, each intended to serve 300,000 people. Palestinians expelled from northern Gaza would be forced to relocate to reach the centres. The plan was met by sharp criticism from the UN and other aid groups, who noted that Palestinians have regularly come under attack from Israeli forces while collecting aid. Addressing those concerns, Huckabee on Friday said “the most significant danger is not doing anything” and “people dying from hunger”. The aid would be “distributed effectively, but also safely”, the US official insisted, according to Israeli daily Haaretz. The decision to bypass international aid agencies comes amid growing alarm over famine-like conditions in the besieged territory, where Israel’s near-total blockade has cut off all essential supplies for almost three months. At least 57 Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza, with most of the victims being children, as well as the sick and elderly. UN humanitarian agency spokesperson Jens Laerke condemned the effort to dismantle existing aid structures on Tuesday. “This appears to be a deliberate attempt to weaponise the aid,” he said. “It should be based solely on humanitarian need.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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India-Pakistan Live: Blasts Rock North India, Cross-border Clashes Resume

Pakistan’s military says there will be ‘no de-escalation’ until it has responded fully to India’s attacks on Wednesday. Al Jazeera Live Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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India-Pakistan Updates: India Hits Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir

These were the updates on the increasing tension between Pakistan and India for Wednesday, May 7. Indian military strikes Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir This live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage here. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Israel Intercepts Missile Launched By Yemens Houthis

The incident comes days after Oman said it mediated a ceasefire deal between the US and the Houthi group. Air raid sirens were heard in Israel as a missile was launched towards the territory by Yemen’s Houthis, who say they are retaliating against Israeli sites in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel’s military said it intercepted the projectile on Friday using its air defence systems. The incident came days after Oman said it mediated a ceasefire deal between the United States and the Houthis, with the Yemeni group saying the agreement did not include Israel. Houthi rebels fired a “hypersonic ballistic missile” towards Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, while also claiming a drone attack “targeting a vital Israeli enemy target” in the same area, according to the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree. Israeli media reported that air raid sirens were sounded in several areas across central Israel, with people receiving early warning mobile messages about the missile attack. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Israel would respond forcefully in Yemen and “wherever necessary”, describing the Houthi missiles as “Iranian”. There were no reports of injuries or damage from the missile attack, according to a military statement. US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his country would stop bombing Yemen as the Houthis had agreed to stop their attacks on US ships in the Red Sea. But the Houthis have continued to fire missiles and drones towards Israel, most of which the Israeli military says it has intercepted, without casualties or serious damage occurring. The Houthis have attacked numerous vessels in the Red Sea linked to Israel and its allies in what they state is an act of solidarity with Palestine. According to Israeli media, the Houthi group has launched 28 ballistic missiles and dozens of drones at Israel since March 18, when Israel resumed its genocidal war on Gaza. Israel has been waging a devastating war on the enclave since October 2023, killing more than 50,000 Palestinians, after a Hamas-led attack into southern Israel that month. Follow Al Jazeera English:...