ISTANBUL

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) confirmed Tuesday it has ended its participation in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) amid intense criticism about its operations.

The company said in a statement that it agreed in October 2024 to provide "pro bono support to help establish an aid organization intended to operate alongside multilateral efforts to deliver humanitarian support to Gaza."

"Unapproved follow-on work relating to Gaza lacked buy-in from multilateral stakeholders and was stopped on May 30. BCG has not and will not be paid for any of this work," the company said. "BCG has begun a formal review of the work, and while that review continues, the partner who led this work has been placed on administrative leave."

The Washington Post first reported on the group's withdrawal, saying it withdrew personnel from Tel Aviv in late April.

The Boston Consulting Group served an integral role in creating the aid delivery system, establishing payment structures and procurement standards for contractors operating four distribution facilities in southern Gaza, according to the newspaper.

Three individuals familiar with both entities indicated the foundation would face significant challenges continuing without the consultants who established it, considering its involvement in creating the program alongside Israeli coordination.

Foundation encounters broad condemnation

Israel launched a controversial aid distribution mechanism on May 27, backed by the US, through the GHF.

The mechanism was opposed by the international community and the UN, which comes as an alternative attempt by Israel to bypass the aid distribution through UN channels.

The Gaza Media Office said at least 52 Palestinians were killed and 340 injured since Israel's aid mechanism began May 27.

Foundation director Jake Wood stepped down Monday during the controversy, expressing worries about neutral operations.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million people.