Trump administration sued to disclose funding for controversial Gaza aid group

An American legal advocacy organization has filed a lawsuit to seek the source of funding for the controversial US and Israeli-backed group delivering aid in the Gaza Strip.

The US-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a so-called humanitarian group set up to cater to the needs of the Palestinian people, has cost the lives of hundreds of Gazans, already ravaged by famine and genocide.

International aid experts have described GHF's distribution points as "death traps, criticizing the relief group's work model as "an insult to the humanitarian enterprise and standards."

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GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay told Channel 4 of the UK last week that Western European countries funded GHF, but that he would not reveal which countries did it.

On Wednesday, the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a lawsuit to seek the source of GHF's funding and its initial tens of millions of dollars paid as salaries and the travel expenses to its aid workers, who have been described as "mercenaries.”

The CCR was investigating the legality of GHF's charter and demanding that its financial records be revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.

In its lawsuit, the CCR requested that Delaware's Attorney General Kathy Jennings "investigate GHF and revoke its charter on grounds that it is illegally abusing its privileges with its complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide."

The New York-based firm said it filed its lawsuit against the Donald Trump administration for its failure to comply with its request.

The CCR said it aims to follow the money to find who is funding the failed aid operation.

"Today's lawsuit seeks records that could shed light on not only the decision-making process... but also on the creation of GHF, its funding and how it plans to use" a US government grant, the CCR said.

"The Center for Constitutional Rights is particularly interested in information that could reveal whether the administration's distribution of funds has any link to President Trump's 'Gaza Riviera' plan, which would cleanse the area of Palestinians and redevelop it for investors," the statement said.

Since GHF began its relief operations in southern Gaza in May, which have left over 1,000 Palestinians seeking food aid dead at its four distribution points across Gaza, its funding sources have been a secret.

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A former US Special Forces officer revealed that he resigned from his position at the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) after witnessing Israeli forces firing upon Palestinian civilians at aid distribution centers.

US military contractors who staff GHF have also been seen in videos shooting at aid seekers - something former US special forces soldier Anthony Aguilar confirmed after leaving the organization.

"GHF, far from alleviating suffering in Gaza, is contributing to the forced displacement, killing and furtherance of genocide of Palestinians," the CCR said.

GHF food aid distribution points "have become synonymous with scenes of chaos and carnage," it added.

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Meanwhile, human rights experts familiar with the matter say the word “humanitarian” in the title of the organization only serves to “add to Israel’s humanitarian camouflage."

“Without clear accountability, the very idea of humanitarian relief may ultimately become a casualty of modern hybrid warfare,” they warned.

Analysts say the United States and the Israeli regime created GHF to bypass the United Nations’ central role in aid distribution in Gaza.

The UN has refused to cooperate with the US-Israeli program, calling it a militarized aid model that would result in the displacement of the Gaza people.

Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023, most of the population has been forced to relocate, some of them several times.

More than 62,122 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, have been killed during this time, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

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