The controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which oversees the US-backed Israeli aid distribution scheme in Gaza, is to be dissolved in Geneva, Swiss public broadcaster RTS reported Wednesday.

The Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (FSA) “ordered the formal dissolution” of the Geneva-based organization, RTS reported, adding that the organization has been the subject of controversy for months.

The foundation set up its office earlier this year as an alternative attempt by Israel to bypass the aid distribution in Gaza through United Nations channels. Since late May, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4,000 injured trying to access food from distribution points, according to humanitarian organizations who have called for the GHF to be shut down.

‘Noncompliant’

The FSA reportedly 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, RTS noted.

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

Concern over the GHF led to the resignation of its Swiss director, while Swiss NGO TRIAL International has filed two complaints with federal authorities, seeking transparency regarding the foundation’s operations.

NGOs Urge Shutdown

More than 130 humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Amnesty, have called for immediate action to shut down the “deadly” aid distribution scheme in Gaza.

“Israeli forces and armed groups – some reportedly operating with backing from Israeli authorities – now routinely open fire on desperate civilians risking everything just to survive,” the organizations said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The organizations urged “the existing UN-led coordination mechanisms” to be utilized in the enclave and for Israel’s blockade on aid and commercial supplies to be lifted.

They pointed out that the 400 aid distribution points operating during the temporary ceasefire across Gaza “have now been replaced by just four military-controlled distribution sites, forcing two million people into overcrowded, militarized zones where they face daily gunfire and mass casualties while trying to access food and are denied other life-saving supplies.”

‘Starve, or Risk Being Shot’

“Today, Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families,” they said.

The organizations highlighted that weeks following the launch of the Israeli distribution scheme “have been some of the deadliest and most violent since October 2023.”

They urged the restoration of “a unified, UN-led coordination mechanism—grounded in international humanitarian law and inclusive of UNRWA, Palestinian civil society, and the wider humanitarian community—to meet people’s needs.”