The United Nations announced on Thursday its refusal to participate in a US-backed humanitarian operation for Gaza, citing fundamental concerns regarding impartiality, neutrality, and independence, Reuters reported.
"This particular distribution plan does not accord with our basic principles, including those of impartiality, neutrality, independence, and we will not be participating in this," Farhan Haq, deputy UN spokesperson, told reporters.
His comments come a day after the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced that it would commence operations in Gaza by the end of May. This initiative has drawn significant criticism, with UN aid chief Tom Fletcher reportedly describing it as a "fig leaf for further violence and displacement" of Gazans.
According to a source familiar with the plan, the foundation intends to partner with private US security and logistics firms to transport aid into Gaza for distribution by aid groups.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in Antalya, Turkey, acknowledged the criticisms. He affirmed Washington's openness to alternative plans to deliver aid to civilians "without Hamas being able to steal it."
"We're not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza, and I know that there's opportunities here to provide aid for them," Rubio remarked after a discussion with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day. He added, "There are criticisms of that plan. We're open to an alternative if someone has a better one."
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reiterated on Thursday that the UN "has a solid and principled operational plan to deliver humanitarian aid and life-saving services at scale and immediately across the Gaza Strip."
The move to launch GHF comes after a halt in aid deliveries to Gaza, stemming mainly from the fact that the Hamas terrorist organization has been taking the aid, meant for civilians in Gaza, as President Donald Trump himself has pointed out.
In an apparent effort to address some of the concerns, the GHF requested Israel to expand an initial limited number of "secure aid distribution sites" from Gaza's south to the north within 30 days. It has also urged Israel to permit the UN and other organizations to resume aid deliveries immediately until the foundation is fully established.
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon, when asked about these requests, stated to reporters, "I'm not familiar with those requests, maybe when they went into Jerusalem, but I will tell you that we appreciate the effort of the United States."
Regarding Israel's role, Danon clarified, "We will not fund those efforts. We will facilitate them. We will enable them. We will not be the one giving the aid... It will be run by the fund itself, led by the US."
