The leader of an institution established to distribute aid in Gaza as part of a contentious, Israel-supported plan has stepped down, asserting that the operation could not adhere to “humanitarian principles.”

Jake Wood resigned from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Sunday, stating that the organization could not uphold the principles of “humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”

The initiative, which also has backing from the US, proposes that private contractors deliver aid to Palestinians through distribution sites designated by Israel. The United Nations has strongly criticized the plan and announced it will not participate.

Israel maintains that the plan is essential to prevent hamas from diverting aid, an accusation the armed group denies.

The GHF plan involves Palestinians collecting boxes weighing up to 20kg (44lbs), containing food and basic hygiene supplies, from four distribution locations in southern Gaza.

Concerns have been raised about how vulnerable individuals, such as the weak or injured, will be able to collect the aid.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher warned that the plan would exacerbate displacement, limit aid to a specific area of Gaza, and use “starvation a bargaining chip.”

Wood’s Statement and GHF’s Response

In his resignation statement, Wood, a former US marine, said: “Two months ago, I was approached about leading GHF’s efforts as of my experience in humanitarian operations.”

He added: “Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering.”

Wood stated he was “proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza.”

However, he clarified that it had become “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 responded that it would “not be deterred” by wood’s resignation and would proceed with aid delivery on Monday, aiming to reach one million Palestinians by the end of the week.

The group asserted that critics “who benefit from the status quo have been more focused on tearing this apart than on getting aid in, afraid that new, creative solutions to intractable problems might actually succeed.”

The GHF added: “Our trucks are loaded and ready to go.”

israeli media outlets reported that the first of the four distribution centers would be opened by the GHF on Monday morning.

“How is a mother of four children, who has lost her husband, going to carry 20kg back to her makeshift tent, sometimes several kilometres away?”

Broader Concerns and Criticisms

Last week, Israel eased an 11-week blockade on food, fuel, medicine, and other supplies entering Gaza, with aid trucks reaching civilians. However, the UN described it as onyl a “drop in the ocean of what’s needed”.

The World Food Program (WFP) warned that Gaza’s entire population was “on the brink of starvation.”

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told the BBC’s Today Programme that the GHF is “militarised, privatised, politicised” and “not in conformity with neutrality”.

He added: “The people behind it are military – they are ex-CIA and ex-military people… Let’s go back to the system that worked.”

The GHF has faced intense scrutiny regarding its funding, origins, and backing.

An examination by The New York Times suggested the group may have been conceived in Israel by Israeli officials, military officers, and their partners in the Israeli business sector.

Responding to the plan, UN children’s fund spokesperson Jonathan Crick questioned: “How is a mother of four children, who has lost her husband, going to carry 20kg back to her makeshift tent, sometimes several kilometres away?”

crick added: “The most vulnerable people, including the elderly, people with disabilities, the sick and wounded, and orphans, will face huge challenges to access aid.”

Israel initiated its military campaign in Gaza following Hamas‘s cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 53,939 people, including at least 16,500 children, have been killed in Gaza since then.