Swiss authority orders dissolution of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in Geneva

GENEVA

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial aid organization backed by Israel and the US that currently operates in Gaza, is being formally dissolved in Geneva, Swiss public broadcaster RTS reported Wednesday.

The foundation set up its Geneva office earlier this year as an alternative attempt by Israel to bypass the aid distribution in Gaza through UN channels.

According to RTS, the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ASF) ordered the closure after determining the GHF no longer had a Swiss representative or address and had made no effort to correct the issue. The Home Affairs Department confirmed the decision.

In early June, the Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed to Anadolu that the legal status of the controversial Geneva branch of the GHF is assessed to be "inactive" and "noncompliant" with legal requirements.

The GHF mechanism was opposed by the international community and quickly condemned by the UN after hundreds of Palestinians were killed during chaotic aid deliveries, prompting UN investigators to label the initiative "outrageous."

The widespread concern led to the resignation of its Swiss director. Swiss NGO TRIAL International has filed two complaints with federal authorities, seeking transparency regarding the foundation's operations.

The NGO welcomed the decision to dissolve GHF's Geneva branch in a statement on Wednesday, saying it "is not surprised" by the decision following TRIAL International's legal submissions earlier in May.

"... this outcome was inevitable given the foundation's failure to meet the legal obligations for foundations registered in Switzerland,” the organization said in a statement.

However, the group stressed this is "not the end of the story," pointing to the unusually fast decision by Swiss authorities to dissolve the branch before the 30-day compliance deadline had expired.

It said the move may indicate the GHF's activities were not only non-compliant but also "potentially dangerous to Switzerland's international reputation."

TRIAL International urged authorities to disclose the findings of their investigation and questioned whether the GHF was "incapable of respecting the legal order, the Geneva Conventions, or fundamental humanitarian standards."

It also warned that GHF's "aid distribution model in Gaza — based on privatization and militarization — has proved inhumane" and may amount to complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

GENEVA

The foundation set up its Geneva office earlier this year as an alternative attempt by Israel to bypass the aid distribution in Gaza through UN channels.

"... this outcome was inevitable given the foundation's failure to meet the legal obligations for foundations registered in Switzerland,” the organization said in a statement.

However, the group stressed this is "not the end of the story," pointing to the unusually fast decision by Swiss authorities to dissolve the branch before the 30-day compliance deadline had expired.

It said the move may indicate the GHF's activities were not only non-compliant but also "potentially dangerous to Switzerland's international reputation."