'People fear being killed trying to get a bag of lentils'

Aid workers explain how the politicised, militarised’ Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is failing to achieve its mission

- TOM WATLING

Starving Palestinians fear “being killed while trying to get a bag of lentils”, aid workers warned as the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation closed aid centres for the second time in a week.

Aid agencies told The Independent that the foundation (GHF) is already failing at providing aid to the enclave’s starving population. The GHF, run by a private group of US military contractors and endorsed by the Israeli military, announced yesterday that all of its distribution centres in Gaza would close until further notice.

The US-backed organisation had already urged Palestinians to stay away from all three of its centres for safety reasons following a series of deadly shootings earlier this week. Dozens of people were shot dead near the GHF’s Rafah site over three consecutive days in scenes described as “appalling” by UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.

The GHF said that a reopening date would be announced later yesterday, with the closures sparking further concern that the organisation is ill-equipped to deal with the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave. The UN has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave ended last month.