Head of Gaza aid foundation quits as strike kills dozens

He says the US-backed group is unable to uphold humanitarian principles amid war

- 

JERUSALEM/CAIRO - The head of a US-backed foundation set to begin aid deliveries in Gaza resigned unexpectedly on May 25, saying it could not uphold humanitarian principles amid war, as an Israeli air strike on a school building killed dozens of Palestinians sheltering inside.

Reflecting growing international pressure on Israel, close ally Germany said the recent attacks in Gaza were inflicting a toll on civilians that could no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas.

Israel has faced mounting Western outcry in May as its military launched a new offensive in Gaza, already largely destroyed by Israeli bombardment during 19 months of conflict and where the population of two million is at risk of famine.

After nearly three months of blockade, the Israeli authorities last week allowed a trickle of aid into the Palestinian enclave. But the few hundred trucks carried only a tiny fraction of the food needed.

Mr Jake Wood, executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for the past two months, said he resigned because it could not adhere "to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence".

His departure underscores the confusion surrounding the foundation, which has been boycotted by the UN and the aid groups supplying aid to Gaza before Israel imposed a total blockade on the enclave in March.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which would use private contractors working under a broad Israeli security umbrella, said it would begin deliveries on May 26, with the aim of reaching one million Palestinians by the end of the week.