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The debated, US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announces it is concluding its aid operations in the Gaza region, after almost six months.

The organisation had already suspended its three food distribution sites in Gaza after the halt in hostilities between Palestinian factions and Israel took effect in recent weeks.

The foundation sought to circumvent United Nations channels as the primary provider of relief to Palestinian residents.

UN and other aid agencies declined to participate with its system, stating it was questionable and hazardous.

Many residents were lost their lives while seeking food amid disorderly situations near the organization's distribution points, mainly through Israeli military action, based on UN documentation.

Israel said its forces fired alerting fire.

Mission Completion

The organization declared on recently that it was winding down operations now because of the "effective conclusion of its humanitarian effort", with a cumulative three million shipments containing the equivalent of more than 187 million meals provided to residents.

The organization's top administrator, Jon Acree, also said the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) - which has been set up to help execute the United States' Palestinian peace proposal - would be "implementing and enlarging the model GHF piloted".

"The organization's system, in which militant groups were prevented from misappropriating relief supplies, was significantly influential in bringing Palestinian factions to negotiations and achieving a ceasefire."

Reactions and Responses

Hamas - which denies stealing aid - supported the shutdown of the GHF, as indicated by media.

An official from stated the organization should be subject to scrutiny for the negative impact it created to Gazans.

"We urge all worldwide humanitarian bodies to ensure that it does not escape accountability after leading to casualties and wounds of many residents and obscuring the starvation policy implemented by the Israel's administration."

Foundation History

The foundation started work in Gaza on late May, a short period subsequent to Israeli authorities had somewhat relaxed a total blockade on aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza that persisted for nearly three months and led to substantial deficiencies of necessary provisions.

After 90 days, a food crisis was announced in the Gaza metropolitan area.

The foundation's nourishment distribution centers in various parts of the Palestinian territory were managed by US private security contractors and located inside areas controlled by Israeli forces.

Aid Organization Objections

The UN and its partners said the system contravened the basic relief guidelines of non-partisanship, even-handedness and self-determination, and that channelling desperate people into military-controlled areas was inherently unsafe.

United Nations human rights division said it recorded the deaths of a minimum of 859 residents seeking food in the area surrounding organization centers between 26 May and 31 July.

A further 514 persons were killed near the courses followed by international humanitarian deliveries, it added.

The greater part of these people were killed by the Israeli military, as per the organization's documentation.

Divergent Narratives

The Israeli military claimed its troops had released alerting fire at persons who advanced toward them in a "intimidating" way.

The GHF said there were no shooting events at the distribution centers and accused the UN of using "false and misleading" data from the Gazan medical department controlled by militant factions.

Subsequent Developments

The GHF's future had been unclear since Hamas and Israel agreed a ceasefire deal to implement the first phase of Trump's peace plan.

The arrangement specified relief provision would take place "free from intervention from the two parties through the international bodies and their affiliates, and the humanitarian medical organization, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner" with Hamas and Israel.

United Nations representative the international body's communicator said on Monday that the GHF's shutdown would have "zero effect" on its activities "as we never partnered with them".

He also said that while additional assistance was reaching the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, it was "inadequate to meet all the needs" of the 2.1 million population.