The head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israeli-backed aid group, has come out strongly to defend the organisation’s operations in Gaza, dismissing widespread criticism over the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians near aid distribution sites.

In an interview with BBC World Service’s Newshour, GHF chief Johnnie Moore acknowledged that fatalities have occurred close to their aid locations but rejected claims that his organisation was to blame. “100% of those casualties are being attributed to close proximity to GHF and that is not true,” he said.

Moore accused the United Nations and other international agencies of spreading unverifiable information. “People need to understand that it is disinformation that people going to GHF sites are being killed, we have no evidence of that happening in proximity to our sites,” he stated.

His remarks come amid growing concern over the safety of civilians seeking aid in Gaza. The UN and several humanitarian organisations have raised the alarm following repeated reports of Palestinians being killed or injured near GHF-run sites, many of which are located inside Israeli military-controlled zones.

On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the GHF aid system, calling it “inherently unsafe.” He added, “Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently unsafe. The search for food must never be a death sentence.”

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 500 people have been killed and 4,000 injured while attempting to access aid since GHF took over food distribution. Two major incidents on 1 and 3 June led to the deaths of dozens of Palestinians within days of the group launching operations in late May.

Eyewitnesses and medics have reported multiple cases where Israeli forces opened fire on crowds near the aid zones. On Friday, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a story citing unnamed Israeli soldiers who claimed they had received orders to shoot unarmed civilians near the sites to disperse them.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the report as “malicious falsehoods.” The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) also denied the allegations, stating, “The IDF did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres.”

The IDF said it is working to improve its approach in the aid areas and has recently installed new fencing, signage, and additional access routes to help Palestinians reach distribution points more safely.

Moore also challenged reports that all casualties should be blamed on the Israeli military. “100% of the casualties are being attributed to the IDF – as best as we can tell that's also not true,” he said.

While the IDF has admitted to firing “warning shots” in certain situations, they say these were directed at people they considered “suspects” or threats.

Moore added, “We spend an extended period of time trying to understand what actually happened, if anything actually happened and whether there's a way that we can make it less likely to happen. In most circumstances we haven't been able to identify anything happening.”

Israel currently bars international media, including the BBC, from entering Gaza, limiting independent verification of the situation on the ground.

Moore further claimed that before GHF stepped in, many UN aid trucks were being hijacked at gunpoint. When the BBC noted that the UN had found no evidence of widespread hijackings, Moore responded, “The UN is not being honest.”

Despite the challenges, GHF continues its efforts and hopes to provide 50 million meals in Gaza.

However, Moore admitted this amount is “insufficient” and does not fully meet the needs of the population. “But it is more than was available a month ago,” he said, adding that the group is looking to expand and possibly collaborate with organisations such as the UN.

“The mission is clear. We just want to feed Gazans,” Moore said.

On Thursday, the United States announced a $30 million funding package for the GHF, marking its first public financial support to the group.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports that over 56,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks.