Head of controversial U.S.-backed Gaza aid program quits citing 'humanitarian principles'

The head of a new U.S. and Israel-backed organization set to distribute aid in Gaza has quit, saying it would be impossible to do the job without compromising basic humanitarian principles.

The head of a new U.S. and Israel-backed organization set to distribute aid in Gaza has quit, saying it would be impossible to do the job without compromising basic humanitarian principles.

Jake Wood, executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, said he was “proud of the work” he had so far overseeing the project.

However, it was impossible to implement the plan while also adhering to the “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence,” he said in a statement published by Reuters.

Jake Wood in New York in 2019.Craig Barritt / Getty ImagesThe Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, said it would launch operations Monday despite the resignation of Wood, a U.S. military veteran and co-founder of the nonprofit Team Rubicon, described on its website as a "veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises."

Wood and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for more information.