Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) stated that despite the early rejection of the humanitarian aid distribution system imposed by the United States and Israel through the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF), and despite public warnings from senior UN and Western officials about the GHF’s dangerous role, all parties failed to pressure the Israeli occupation to protect humanitarian work and thwart its plan to militarise aid distribution.
AOHR UK explained that the circumstances and timing of the GHF’s creation, outside the UN framework and in close coordination with the Israeli army and security agencies, clearly indicate that its purpose is not the delivery of aid. It is rather to increase the starvation and humiliation of the population, to contribute to the displacement of Palestinians, to increase their suffering, and even to kill them when they approach food parcel distribution sites. While the United Nations manages 400 distribution points, the GHF has established only four, all in the south, deliberately forcing people to migrate southward in search of food.
AOHR UK noted that for over 600 days of ongoing genocide and more than 90 days of a complete border closure, the Israeli occupation has systematically obstructed the work of international aid organisations. This has been done by repeatedly closing crossings, targeting aid convoys (either directly or through looting by organised local gangs), bombing food distribution centres, kitchens, and bakeries, and by killing aid workers. Furthermore, there has been a smear campaign against UNRWA, falsely associating it with terrorism.
Official records show that the GHF was established on 12 February 2025 with a specific objective; to undermine the role of the United Nations and its partner organisations, and to weaponise humanitarian aid in service of genocide. Documents reveal that the GHF is registered in Geneva (Switzerland) and Delaware (USA), and is run by four individuals: David Babazian (Armenian reside in UK, director of the Geneva branch), David Kohler (Swiss citizen), Johnnie Moore Jr. (director of the Delaware branch), and Loik Henderson (an American resident of Virginia). The GHF reportedly employs over 300 armed personnel.
AOHR UK pointed out that the concentration of distribution points in the south is intended to force people from the north to walk hundreds of kilometres, contributing to their displacement and worsening their suffering. Vulnerable groups, including the elderly and those with health conditions, are often unable to reach the centres, leaving them completely deprived of food unless alternatives are provided.
According to the organisation, the involvement of the GHF’s officials in war crimes is undeniable. Under international law, the distribution of humanitarian aid must remain independent of occupation forces. Any organisation operating in this field must refrain from engaging or contracting with occupying forces for aid distribution, as this serves their political and military agenda.
AOHR UK stressed that the GHF’s administrators and staff are fully aware that the entity was created to serve military objectives, and they lack any background in humanitarian work. This has been further evidenced by the resignation of the GHF’s executive director, Jake Wood, and several other officials amid a wave of accusations. More resignations followed, especially after deadly incidents at aid distribution points.
AOHR UK highlighted that since the GHF began operations at Tel Al-Sultan distribution centre in Rafah on 27 May 2025, it has been clear that the occupation’s imposed distribution method was designed to subjugate the people of Gaza and contribute to their displacement from the north. The chaotic scenes of thousands gathering for aid led to panic and overcrowding due to the limited space, which the occupation escalated by opening fire on civilians, killing 10 and injuring more than 60 on the first day. More aid seekers were killed the next day, bringing the two-day death toll to 17 with 86 injured and 7 reported missing.
On 1 June 2025, as civilians approached the Rafah distribution point again, Israeli forces carried out another horrific massacre, killing 31 civilians and injuring over 170. Despite clear evidence of gunfire by the occupation and armed guards contracted by the GHF, Israel denied responsibility and attempted to blame Palestinians. Another massacre occurred on 3 June, resulting in 27 more deaths and 160 injuries; a recurring pattern of lethal force used deliberately against starving civilians.
In the following days, the violence intensified. On 6 June, civilians were shot and bombed while approaching a distribution centre, killing at least 9 people. On 7 June, more gunfire was reported at Al-Alam roundabout in Rafah, killing 8 civilians and injuring others. On 8 June, Rafah and the Wadi Gaza Bridge area saw more deadly attacks, with at least 5 civilians killed. On 9 June, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that 14 more civilians were killed near a distribution centre. The tragedy peaked on 10 June when 36 civilians were killed and 207 injured in a single day, who are victims of aid centres that had become death traps.
The regularity of such shootings has made violence against aid seekers a tragically familiar scene. Yet, the GHF has not taken any reasonable steps to correct the situation or withdraw from Gaza. Instead, its weak responses have attempted to justify the crimes, with statements like “the army fired warning shots to deter Gazans”, without acknowledging the victims or the reasons behind the violence. This, despite the gravity of the crimes, demonstrates the administrators’ commitment to fulfilling their mission regardless of the cost to Palestinian lives.
AOHR UK has called on the UK’s Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) to investigate David Babazian, who resides in the UK and is registered as the Geneva branch director, on charges of complicity in war crimes and for leading an institution that has weaponised humanitarian operations in service of Israeli occupation.
It also called on the Swiss government to immediately shut down the GHF and investigate its citizen David Kohler, given that the GHF acts as an extension of the Israeli army, carrying out its military objectives under the pretext of humanitarian aid while disrupting international agencies and facilitating massacres of Palestinians who approach aid centres. The Armenian government was also urged to take responsibility for its citizen David Babazian and dismiss him from his role as Chairman of FlyArna, Armenia’s national airline.
The GHF’s operations violate fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, namely, neutrality and independence, as set out in the humanitarian mandates of the UN (OCHA), the ICRC, and the Sphere Standards, which prohibit collaboration with parties to a conflict, especially occupying powers, due to the threat such cooperation poses to these core principles. This constitutes a breach of both customary and codified international humanitarian law, including Article 70 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (1977), which states that: “Relief actions shall be undertaken by impartial humanitarian organisations and shall be allowed to proceed without interference.”
Beyond breaching neutrality and militarising aid, the GHF’s leaders have deliberately contributed to the starvation of Gaza’s population by obstructing the work of specialised UN agencies and NGOs striving to deliver aid. They have lured civilians to dangerous locations, turning aid centres into kill zones.
This grave situation demands urgent, decisive action from the international community. Humanitarian aid must be delivered through legitimate, specialised organisations recognised under international humanitarian law. Neither statements of concern nor silence are acceptable in the face of Gaza’s ongoing catastrophe. Netanyahu and his government are intent on eliminating what remains of life in Gaza, emboldened by the global failure to act. The international community holds many tools to resist the dominance of the United States, the primary backer of this genocide, and to force the occupying power to comply with international legal standards.
AOHR UK is currently preparing a formal complaint to the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, urging the opening of an investigation into the crimes committed by officials of the GHF for their role as part of the Israeli army’s apparatus in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and their involvement in crimes of starvation, forced displacement, torture, and wilful killing.
