News - Middle East: Switzerland’s government has initiated proceedings to close the Geneva branch of the Israel-US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Switzerland’s Federal Department of Home Affairs confirmed on Wednesday that due to the GHF’s “legal shortcomings,” it will initialize the closure of the organization’s Geneva branch.

“The ESA may order the dissolution of the foundation if no creditors come forward within the legal 30-day period,” said Switzerland’s Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA).

The GHF is a private corporation, officially registered in the US state of Delaware, and has registered an affiliate in Geneva.

Although it has the support of the Israeli regime and the US government, neither has come forward as the financial parent of the organization.

The GHF began its work in Gaza on May 26, 2025, at a new distribution center in Rafah. According to its reports, by the end of its first day of operations, it had distributed 8,000 food boxes, estimated to feed 44,000 people for half a week covering only about 2% of Gaza’s population. 

On 12 June, it reported a daily distribution of 2.6 million meals, the highest daily output since the start of its operations.

The United Nations, its affiliated agencies especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and other humanitarian organizations have said on numerous occasions that they cannot confirm any of the GHF’s claims regarding food distribution in Gaza.

Since May 27, 2025, thousands of Palestinians have been killed and wounded by Israeli gunfire as they approached the GHF distribution installations.

In late June 2025, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli regime’s forces had received orders to fire on the unarmed aid seekers to “keep them away from food distribution centers.”

Despite the Israeli regime’s claims that an alternative distribution pathway is needed as the Palestinian resistance group Hamas allegedly steals aid, the UN officials have said the looting of Gaza aid has nothing to do with Hamas.

The UN has categorically stated that looting is instead being performed by the Popular Forces, a Daesh-linked anti-Hamas militia armed and supported by Israel.

The UN and other humanitarian groups have criticized the GHF for politicizing aid distribution, saying it is giving cover for Israel to pursue its aims to depopulate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, 169 NGOs called for immediate action to end the GHF operations and reverting back to United Nations-led aid coordination mechanisms.

Since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime began its campaign of genocide, it has killed at least 56,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 133,000, according to the health ministry of Gaza.

Press TV