US-backed Gaza aid group names evangelical as chairman

NEW YORK - The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on June 3 named as its executive chairman an American evangelical Christian leader who has publicly backed President Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take over the Palestinian enclave.

The appointment of Reverend Dr Johnnie Moore, a former evangelical adviser to the White House during Mr Trump's first term in office, came as health officials said at least 27 people died and more than 150 were injured trying to reach a GHF aid site.

"GHF is demonstrating that it is possible to move vast quantities of food to people who need it most — safely, efficiently, and effectively," Dr Moore said in the foundation statement.

"GHF believes that serving the people of Gaza with dignity and compassion must be the top priority."

The GHF began operations one week ago under a distribution model criticised by the United Nations as the militarisation of aid.

The GHF says so far it has given out seven million meals from so-called secure distribution sites.

It uses private US security and logistics companies to get aid into Gaza.

The UN and aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not a neutral operation.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher has said it "makes aid conditional on political and military aims" and uses starvation as "a bargaining chip."

The appointment of Dr Moore could fuel UN concerns, given his support for the controversial proposal Mr Trump floated in February for the US to take over Gaza and develop it economically.

After Mr Trump proposed the idea, Dr Moore posted video of Mr Trump's remarks on X and wrote: "The USA will take full responsibility for future of Gaza, giving everyone hope & a future."

‘Bad guys’

The UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the appointment of Dr Moore, who has accused the UN of ignoring "bad guys" stealing aid in Gaza.

The UN has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for impediments getting aid into Gaza and distributing throughout the war zone.

Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies.

In a reference to the new GHF-led aid model, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said Israel was "taking control of food distribution" in Gaza.

"The @UN & others should clean up their act & work with America," Dr Moore posted on May 26.

"Surely, these old US & EU-funded humanitarian orgs won't let people starve in exchange for being 'right' when they know what they have done hasn't worked & has, in fact, made a terrible war worse?"

The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct 7 attack and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Dr Moore visited Israel about three months after the 2023 Hamas attack and wrote: “Never have I seen such horror.”

Just a couple of weeks later, he posted a video titled "Come visit beautiful Gaza," which sought to portray Gaza as a tourist destination if it wasn't for Hamas militants.

Mr Trump has said Gaza has the potential to be "The Riviera of the Middle East."

The United Nations has long endorsed a vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognised borders.

Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, all territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war with neighbouring Arab states. REUTERS