request for re -consideration of the UN
In his first interview since the foundation was founded, Wood also dealt with the criticism of the UN and other aid organizations and asked them to rethink their opinion. "This plan is not perfect, but it will feed people until the end of the month, in a scenario in which no one has allowed relief goods over the past 10 weeks," said Wood.
decision on the help
WOOD added: "Ultimately, the community will face a choice. This will be the mechanism through which the help in Gaza can be distributed. Are you ready to take part? The answer will be crucial for whether we can provide 2.2 million people in a very desperate situation."
challenges for the Gaza Humanitrian Foundation
Without the support of the great UN agencies, it is "difficult to say" whether his foundation can provide enough help to feed the 2.1 million inhabitants of Gazas. The foundation has currently planned to provide 300 million meals in the first 90 days, which Wood recognizes as "not sufficient".
misinformation about the situation
WOOD believes that a large part of the resistance of the humanitarian community against the new mechanism is based on misinformation, including false claims on the provision of direct security by the Israeli military for the locations of aid goods and the transfer of biometric data to the Israeli government. "I cannot blame the humanitarian community to shout under these misinformation. I would not have participated in a plan that does such things. But that is not the plan," said Wood.
opening of the distribution locations
The Gaza Humanitrian Foundation will initially open four distribution locations: three in southern Gaza and one in the central Gaza, according to Wood. It should be noted that a large part of the population of the strip is in the central and northern regions.
planned locations in Nordgaza
WOOD stated that Israel also approved the establishment of two locations in northern Gaza, which in his opinion can be put into operation within the first 30 days of the foundation operations.
supply of 60% of the population
In the first few weeks, the Gaza Humanitrian Foundation will probably only be able to supply only about 60% of the population of Gazas. Wood explained that it was unclear how long it would take to meet the needs of the entire population.
The role of the Israeli military
on the Israeli statements that Hamas is humanitarian aid - which both the Hamas and the aid organizations reject - Wood replied: "In the end, this does not matter. Israel checks access to Gaza, and if it believes that a large proportion of help is intercepted by Hamas and other non -state actors, we have to create a mechanism that works in this context."
Task of the Gazahumanitrian Foundation
The foundation's operations are secured by a private American security service provider, UG Solutions, who used to look after a vehicle control point in Gaza during the ceasefire this year. Wood, a veteran of the US Marine Corps, said that the contractors will be responsible for protecting the auxiliary transports from the Gaza border to the distribution locations, but will not be involved in the distribution of relief goods to civilians.
compliance with international laws
Wood said that they will work "under strict operational rules", which he did not want to explain in more detail for surgical reasons, but he said that they would adhere to international laws and norms.
