US-supported NGO plans to start aid distribution in Gaza by end of May

AFP , Thursday 15 May 2025

A US-supported NGO said Wednesday it would begin distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza this month following talks with officials in Israel, which has imposed a blockade on aid since March.

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Palestinian girls eat hot food from rations provided at a charity kitchen set up at the Islamic University campus in Gaza City. AFP

 

Israel has sealed Gaza off from all humanitarian aid, including food, for over 10 weeks, plunging the territory's 2.3 million people into the worst humanitarian crisis since the war began.

"The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) today announced that it will launch operations in the Gaza Strip before the end of the month," the group said in a statement.

It added that it had asked Israel to secure distribution points in the north of the Palestinian territory, and that Israel had agreed.

The group also said it had asked Israel to "find solutions" for aid deliveries to those unable to reach distribution points.

Shortages of food and medicine have aggravated an already dire situation in Gaza, although Israel has dismissed UN warnings that a potential famine looms.

"There is no time to wait for ideal conditions. We have a responsibility to act and to do it without compromising our values," GHF's executive director Jake Wood was cited as saying in the statement.

He thanked the current US administration for its support, and said he would offer more updates on the group's "operational" plans for the future.

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