US-backed Gaza aid group halts distribution; UN to vote on ceasefire demand

CAIRO/JERUSALEM/NEW YORK – The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) will not give out any aid on June 4 as it presses Israel to boost civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its distribution sites, a day after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed.

The GHF said it has asked the Israeli military to “guide foot traffic in a way that minimises confusion or escalation risks” near military perimeters; develop clearer guidance for civilians; and enhance training to support civilian safety.

“Our top priority remains ensuring the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid,” said a GHF spokesperson.

An Israeli military spokesperson warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on June 4, deeming them “combat zones”.

The new aid distribution process for Gaza’s two million-plus population from just three sites was launched in the midst of a fierce new offensive by Israel since late May.

The UN and other aid groups say the model, which uses private US security and logistics workers, militarises aid.

An Israeli air strike killed at least 18 Palestinians on the morning of June 4, including women and children, at a school housing displaced families west of the southern city of Khan Younis, taking the day’s toll to 21 so far.

There was no immediate response from Israel, which says it is fighting to free the remaining hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza and eliminate the group.

The Israeli military said on June 3 that it opened fire on a group of people it viewed as a threat near a GHF food aid distribution site.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 27 people were killed and dozens injured.

The GHF said the incident was “well beyond” its site.

Palestinians who collected GHF food boxes on June 3 described scenes of pandemonium, with no one overseeing the handover of supplies or checking IDs, as crowds jostled for aid.

The UN Security Council is also set to vote on June 4 on a demand for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and humanitarian access across Gaza, where aid has trickled amid chaos and bloodshed after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on the enclave, where famine looms.

“It is unacceptable. Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives just trying to get food,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on June 3, adding that the aid distribution model backed by the US and Israel was “all a recipe for disaster, which is exactly what is going on”.

That model is run by the newly created GHF, which started operations in the enclave a week ago and said on June 3 that it has given out more than seven million meals from three so-called secure distribution sites.

GHF interim executive director John Acree urged humanitarians in Gaza: “Work with us and we will get your aid delivered to those who are depending on it.”

US veto?

The UN and other aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral and the distribution model militarises aid.

GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get aid to the distribution sites.

It is the latest in a string of efforts to get more aid into the enclave, where experts say the entire population of some 2.1 million people is at risk of famine.

Jordan in 2024 spearheaded humanitarian air drops, while the US briefly installed a floating aid pier, but it was beset by challenges.

The UN has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for hindering the delivery of aid into Gaza and its distribution throughout the war zone.

Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies.

Israel said on June 3 that three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza. Gaza health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on June 3.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza.

The 10 elected members of the UN Security Council have asked for the 15-member body to vote on June 4 on a draft resolution that demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties”.

The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of aid and its safe and unhindered distribution, including by the UN, throughout Gaza.

“The time to act has already passed,” Slovenia’s UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar told Reuters. “It is our historical responsibility not to remain silent.”

As US President Donald Trump’s administration tries to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, it was not immediately clear if Washington would veto the draft text.

A spokesperson for the US mission to the UN said: “We cannot preview our actions currently under consideration.”

A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members – the US, Russia, China, Britain or France – to pass.

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 back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health authorities, which do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants. REUTERS