The American Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza (Criminal)

Author: أمجد الشلة

When the name of this organization is mentioned, it inevitably brings to mind the war crimes and genocide committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Ironically, in this inhumane war waged by Israel against Gaza, the name of this American organization, which is characterized by its inhumanity, immorality, and complete criminality, is associated with the Israeli occupation's machinery. This organization cannot simply be described as biased towards the Israeli occupation; rather, it is an accomplice to this occupation in the murders, genocide, and extrajudicial executions practiced against our defenseless Palestinian civilians in Gaza, in addition to being an integral part of the starvation operations against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Returning to the nature of this organization in terms of its establishment, structure, general management, and employees, we see and note that it emerged as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation following Washington's announcement of a new system for providing assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza through private companies, which was made in early May of last year.
The organization does not have an official website or pages on social media platforms; however, according to charity organization records on the Fundraiso website, headquartered in Switzerland, the Gaza Humanitarian Organization (non-profit) is registered in Switzerland. The organization was established on February 11, 2025, and its operational headquarters is in the occupied Palestinian territories.
It was also found via the official website of the state of Delaware that the Gaza Humanitarian Organization is registered in the United States.

As for the management of this organization, it was led by its executive director Jake Wood, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan within his military unit, which is the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment, deployed in both countries. During his service in the U.S. Army, which invaded and occupied Iraq, Wood was awarded a commendation medal from the Navy and Marine Corps in acknowledgment of his “courage in combat.” He was promoted to the rank of corporal due to “his combat merit” before leaving the Marines with the rank of sergeant.

After Wood’s resignation, John Acry took over as the new executive director of the organization, about whom little is known, including his previous work. However, referring to the work of this organization in Gaza, we find that it is spread over four locations in the territory, which are fully controlled by the Israeli occupation forces. Many media accounts and numerous eyewitness accounts depict how unarmed Palestinian civilians stand in line waiting to receive this aid from an organization whose staff are essentially American security contractors referred to as (mercenaries) who, in many cases, intentionally fired upon recipients of this aid. At the same time, the lines of Palestinians in front of this organization turned into a field execution platform for the Israeli occupation army, with the approximate number of Palestinian martyrs who fell in front of this organization’s centers reaching around two thousand, a number that is likely to increase, in addition to the injured and wounded.

This American organization, which operates in some areas of the Gaza Strip, is directly complicit in the aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and is directly responsible for the killing and execution of hundreds of Palestinians. Based on this, and in accordance with the Rome Statute which established the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice with its legal powers under the provisions and rules of international law, international humanitarian law, and the Geneva Conventions and human rights treaties, all of this serves as a solid legal basis for prosecuting this organization and the individuals managing it, as well as prosecuting the state that established or supports it.

Ultimately, our defenseless Palestinian civilians continue to face systematic and planned genocide, destruction, killing, and starvation orchestrated at the highest levels of the occupying state of Israel, and regardless of how long it takes, Israeli war criminals will be held accountable for their crimes against the Palestinian people from the British mandate of Palestine until today.