The head of a humanitarian group leading the new plan for getting aid into Gaza resigned abruptly on Sunday, accusing his organization of a strategy that does not adhere to “humanitarian principles.”
Jake Wood resigned as the executive director of the Switzerland-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation one day before it was set to “begin direct aid delivery in Gaza,” according to a statement from the board.
Wood was approached to lead the group’s effort about two months ago, and during his brief tenure, he oversaw the development of “a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza,” he said in a statement. “However, it is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.”
The GHF board argued in its statement that the plan “is fully consistent” with the values Wood claimed were lacking.
“I urge Israel to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms, and I urge all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion, or discrimination,” Wood added.
The humanitarian group will utilize private security contractors to transport the aid from the border to secure distribution sites, where it will then be given to civilians directly. The group has previously faced criticism that it was militarizing aid with its approach.
GHF said it hopes to reach 1 million Palestinians in its first week and plans to “scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead.”
The Israeli government had blocked aid from entering Gaza for weeks in an effort it says was designed to pressure Hamas further to release the roughly 60 hostages it still holds. Israel has also begun new ground operations in Gaza to pressure Hamas.
Hamas has previously been able to confiscate aid that has been allowed in, raising concerns from the Israelis about the provisions not reaching civilians in need. Palestinians in Gaza have faced chronic shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
The United States has gone ahead with the latest aid strategy despite opposition from the United Nations and other international humanitarian institutions.
“It contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles,” Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said earlier this month.
Wood’s resignation comes as the Trump administration tries to broker an end to the Israel-Hamas war and a new nuclear agreement with Iran, one of Hamas’s largest backers.
ISRAEL’S ALLIES SCRAMBLE TO ADDRESS CONTINUED WAR AND LACK OF AID IN GAZA
“We had some very good talks with Iran yesterday and today, and let’s see what happens, but I think we could have some good news on the Iran front. Likewise with Hamas on Gaza. We want to see if we can stop that,” Trump said in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday. “And Israel, we’ve been talking to them, and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible.”
