As the world condemned the killings this week of dozens of hungry Palestinians near U.S.-backed aid sites in Gaza, the group responsible for distributing that aid quietly appointed a new leader: an evangelical Christian with ties to the Trump administration.
The group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was founded last year, announced on Tuesday that Johnnie Moore, an American public relations professional, would be its new executive chairman after the previous chief quit.
Mr. Moore’s appointment comes as the foundation — which began handing out food boxes last week — temporarily halted operations on Wednesday to work on “organization and efficiency.” It had been racked by a resignation in its ranks, chaos at its distribution sites and violence nearby, including two deadly shooting episodes in which dozens of Palestinians were killed, according to local health workers.
Here is what to know about Mr. Moore and his ties to the Trump administration.
Here’s what you need to know:
A presence in the Oval Office
Mr. Moore was a spokesman for Liberty University, the Christian institution founded in Lynchburg, Va., in 1971 by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, for a dozen years before moving into the media industry and starting his own faith-based public relations firm.