The head of a US and Israeli-backed aid organization, facing scrutiny over repeated incidents involving Palestinian casualties during aid distribution, has defended the group’s operations.
Johnnie Moore, who leads the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), addressed the concerns in an interview with the BBC World Service’s Newshour program. While acknowledging reports of deaths near aid sites, Moore disputed claims that GHF was directly responsible for “100% of those casualties.”
Moore further accused the UN and other international bodies of disseminating unverified information regarding the incidents.
The GHF’s aid distribution system has faced condemnation from UN agencies, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres describing it as “inherently unsafe” on Friday.
“Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently unsafe. The search for food must never be a death sentence,” Guterres stated.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, over 500 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 injured while attempting to access aid since the GHF assumed control of distribution efforts.
Shortly after GHF operations commenced in late May, separate incidents on June 1 and 3 resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians, drawing international condemnation.
Since then, the UN and various aid organizations have voiced concerns over near-daily reports of Palestinian fatalities occurring near GHF distribution sites, which are located within Israeli military zones.
Eyewitness accounts and medical personnel have reported instances of Israeli forces opening fire on crowds gathered near aid distribution points.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently published a report citing unnamed IDF soldiers who claimed they were ordered to shoot at unarmed civilians near aid distribution sites in order to disperse them.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vehemently denied the allegations, labeling them “malicious falsehoods.”
In a statement issued to the BBC, the IDF stated that it “did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres.”
The IDF added that it is actively working to improve “the operational response” in aid distribution areas, including the addition of new fencing, signage, and access routes to handout zones.
GHF’s Moore stated that, to the best of his knowledge, it is also “not true” that “100% of the casualties are being attributed to the IDF.”
In prior statements, the IDF has indicated that its forces fired “warning shots” at individuals deemed “suspects” or who allegedly posed a threat.
“We spend an extended period of time trying to understand what actually happened, if anything actually happened and whether there’s a way that we can make it less likely to happen,” Moore said.
“In most circumstances we haven’t been able to identify anything happening.”
“People need to understand that it is disinformation that people going to GHF sites are being killed, we have no evidence of that happening in proximity to our sites,” he added.
Israel’s restrictions on international media access to Gaza, including the BBC, impede independent verification of events on the ground.
Moore further alleged that a significant portion of UN aid trucks were being hijacked at gunpoint prior to the GHF’s involvement.
The UN has refuted claims of widespread hijacking of its aid trucks. When confronted with this, Moore asserted that the “UN is not being honest.”
The volume of aid entering Gaza remains insufficient, despite Israel’s partial easing last month of an 11-week blockade imposed in March. Experts warn that the territory remains on the verge of famine.
The GHF hopes to reach a milestone of providing 50 million meals in Gaza, which would still equate to less than one meal per person per day since the operation began.
When pressed on whether food was reaching those most in need, Moore acknowledged that the operation was “insufficient” but maintained that 50 million meals was an improvement over the previous month.
He stated that the GHF aims to scale up its operations and collaborate with organizations like the UN.
“The mission is clear. We just want to feed Gazans,” he added.
On Thursday, the US State Department announced $30 million in funding for the GHF, marking its first known direct contribution to the organization.
The Israeli military launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and the abduction of 251 individuals.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 56,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then.
The sixth and final scheduled evacuation flight organised by the government is set to depart on Sunday.
A month into the resumption of aid distribution in Gaza there have been repeated reports of killings, with a BBC Verify analysis of dozens of videos showing chaos and panic as people head to get aid.
Counter-terrorism police arrest four people after pro-Palestine activists claim they sprayed paint on planes.
Witnesses said Israeli drones fired at Hamas police members dressed in civilian clothing and wearing masks.
Israel’s military says its forces returned fire after being shot at by Palestinians, but the Palestinian foreign ministry blames settlers for the deaths.