I’ve seen the reality of the new Israel-backed ‘aid’ for Gaza. It’s nothing more than a deadly PR stunt | Eyad Amawi

As an aid worker, I despaired at news of Israeli troops opening fire on people seeking food. This is no answer to our suffering

Two days ago, Israeli soldiers fired on a massive crowd of starving Palestinians who just wanted to eat. Some of them had walked more than 10km to reach what was then the only aid distribution point in Gaza. They were looking for help from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly formed Israeli-backed logistics group that had set up a distribution centre in Rafah. Israel and GHF lost control of the crowd; Palestinians were shot and killed for seeking food, and dozens were injured.

What the GHF is doing is nothing more than a public relations campaign: it is promoting the illusion that aid has begun entering the Strip in a meaningful way. What we have learned is that GHF only distributed eight trucks' worth of food on Wednesday. Moreover, a US charity, Rahma Worldwide, which had food parcels that it couldn't get into Gaza and so allowed them to be taken custody" by GHF, has accused the organisation of using its logo without permission in the aid distribution. (Rahma said it's opposed to working alongside GHF because of its use of armed security contractors.) Ultimately, there are tens of thousands of people across the Gaza Strip who will not be able to reach the newly created centres. Even if they function, they will not meet the ever-growing daily needs of the population here.