Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by Washington, appoints a right-wing evangelical as its head

BEIRUT — The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the United States and Israel, announced Tuesday that it is appointing a right-wing evangelical as its head, following the announcement by Palestinian territory aid workers of the death of 27 people killed near a distribution center.

The newly created organization said it has appointed as President Pastor Johnnie Moore, a right-wing American evangelical who worked closely with U.S. President Donald Trump on religious freedom issues.

This appointment "emphasizes GHF's determination to combine operational excellence and experienced, service-oriented leadership," interim director John Acree said in a statement.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organization with opaque funding, claims to have distributed millions of meals since its operations began last week in the Palestinian territory.

But its deployment has been marked by chaotic scenes and reports of casualties from Israeli gunfire near distribution centers. The GHF has denied any incidents.

Gaza's Civil Defense said that 27 people were killed Tuesday by Israeli gunfire near a GHF-managed center in the southern Gaza Strip. The Red Cross confirmed the toll.

The United Nations and numerous NGOs refuse to work with this organization. They are concerned that it was created to serve Israel's military purposes.

Johnnie Moore had been appointed by Donald Trump to a commission to advise him on religious freedom issues, according to the GHF.

"GHF believes that serving the people of Gaza with dignity and compassion must be the number one priority," Pastor Moore said in the statement, defending against "false information about the violence at our sites."

This announcement comes after a major American consulting firm that contributed to the creation of the GHF, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), said it was ending its contract with the humanitarian organization.