Charities demand US-Israeli backed Gaza aid group must be shut down

More than 130 charities and other NGOs are calling for the controversial Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to be shut down. 

Over 500 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid since the GHF started operating in late May, following Israel's three-month blockade of Gaza, the organisations said. Almost 4,000 have been injured. 

The organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Amnesty, say Israeli forces and armed groups "routinely" open fire on Palestinians seeking aid.

Israel denies its soldiers deliberately shoot at aid recipients, and has defended the GHF system, saying it provides direct assistance to people who need it, bypassing Hamas interference.

Tuesday's joint statement from some of the world's biggest charities says the foundation is violating all norms of humanitarian work, including by forcing two million people into overcrowded and militarized zones where they face daily gunfire. 

Source: BBC