A much-criticized aid group, run by U.S. security contractors and backed by Israel, has suspended its operations in Gaza. This comes as a cease-fire takes hold and other international agencies rush to provide vital food supplies to the war-torn territory.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (G.H.F.), once promoted by Israel as an alternative to the U.N.-led aid system in the enclave, is now critically low on funds and faces significant logistical hurdles to restart its crucial work.
The organization has been heavily scrutinized by international aid bodies over the past six months, accused of operating a system that put the lives of desperate Palestinians at risk during aid collection.
Israel had advocated for this new distribution model, aiming to weaken the Palestinian militant group Hamas by keeping aid out of its control. However, even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted in a recent interview that the initiative had failed, though he attributed the failure to Hamas.
“It unfortunately did not work,” he stated.
Since beginning operations in May, the G.H.F. distributed millions of food boxes to people throughout Gaza.
However, its routes also directed Palestinians seeking help into dangerous areas, some guarded by Israeli military forces. These forces at times opened fire on Palestinians, leading to deadly crowd control incidents. Hundreds were killed, according to the Gaza health ministry, which is appointed by Hamas.
A spokesperson for the G.H.F. stated that no killings occurred at the distribution sites themselves. They added that after the Israeli military fired outside these points, the foundation urged them to ensure the safety of those seeking aid.
The Israeli military maintained that its forces only opened fire when confronting an “immediate threat.”
Despite the criticism, the organization continued its operations until the Israel-Hamas cease-fire came into effect earlier this month.
“G.H.F. was asked to pause operations during the hostage release phase, which is still ongoing,” the foundation announced in a statement last week, suggesting a potential resumption of its efforts.
Yet, resuming operations appears challenging given the altered landscape in Gaza. The cease-fire involved an Israeli withdrawal from certain parts of the territory, creating substantial logistical obstacles for the G.H.F.’s food distribution.
The foundation previously operated through four hubs. Three of these, located in southern Gaza, remain within Israeli-controlled zones under the truce terms, making them inaccessible to Palestinians. The fourth site, in central Gaza, is now in an area controlled by Hamas, effectively preventing the G.H.F. from operating there.
Beyond logistical issues, the aid group also grapples with financial and leadership difficulties.
Its funding is expected to run out before the year-end, according to a foundation spokesperson. Its American director, Johnnie Moore, an evangelical Christian figure with political ties, recently stepped down and did not respond to requests for comment.
Efforts by the G.H.F. to secure additional financial support from the United States and other nations have been unsuccessful, as confirmed by two U.S. officials and a third individual briefed on the situation, all speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the information.
Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, recently acknowledged the foundation’s “cash challenge,” with its dwindling finances posing a threat to its continued existence.
Much of the group’s prior funding sources remain undisclosed.
The foundation reported receiving $30 million from the United States and approximately $100 million from an unnamed “donor country.”
Palestinians carrying aid packages from a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center in the central Gaza Strip last month. (Credit: Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)
Israel has consistently denied directly funding humanitarian aid for Gaza. However, in June, its finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, confirmed that the government had allocated funds to assist what he referred to as “the American company” in establishing aid distribution sites, widely understood to be the G.H.F.
The foundation launched shortly after Israel lifted a blockade that had prevented food from entering the territory for over two months. During this period, Gaza faced a deepening humanitarian catastrophe marked by rising hunger, despair, and lawlessness.
Many Palestinians seeking aid would begin their journeys early, hoping to reach G.H.F. sites before they opened and became overwhelmed by crowds.
According to four Israeli soldiers and commanders, who requested anonymity to share their observations or briefings, Israeli troops sometimes opened fire when Palestinians approached in the dark or attempted to bypass them through dunes or abandoned greenhouses.
In the initial months of the G.H.F.’s operations, the death toll near aid sites occasionally reached around 30 per day, as reported by the Gaza health ministry. In total, the ministry stated that over 2,600 Palestinians were killed while attempting to obtain food aid since late May.
However, more than half of these fatalities occurred outside the immediate vicinity of G.H.F. sites.
Palestinians were also killed along aid supply routes used by U.N. trucks and other international aid organizations. Witnesses reported that some of these routes were patrolled by Israeli troops who, at times, fired on Palestinians seeking aid, while others were tragically run over by trucks.
The Israeli military acknowledged incidents where its forces killed aid seekers, stating these cases were under review. However, it dismissed the Gaza ministry’s casualty figures as “inflated.”
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was conceptualized by Israeli officers and businessmen with multiple objectives, including depriving Hamas of a funding source.
Israeli officials had long contended that Hamas was systematically looting humanitarian aid and selling it on the black market at inflated prices, thereby strengthening its grip on power in Gaza. The strategy was to shift aid distribution beyond Hamas’s reach and into Israeli military-controlled areas of Gaza.
However, several Israeli military officials informed a major newspaper over the summer that they believed Hamas was not extensively looting U.N. aid and even suggested expanding U.N. aid operations in Gaza.
The foundation partnered with Safe Reach Solutions, an American private company led by a former senior C.I.A. officer. Its armed American contractors delivered food to sites guarded by Israeli troops.
Israel also aimed for the foundation to serve as an alternative to the United Nations, a primary aid provider in Gaza, which Israeli officials have frequently accused of anti-Israeli bias. U.N. officials, conversely, affirm their commitment to strict principles of humanitarian neutrality in Gaza.
Before the G.H.F. began its work, the United Nations and other groups operated hundreds of aid distribution sites across Gaza, spanning cities and displacement camps.
Despite operating for approximately six months, the G.H.F. was unable to provide food to many areas, with its aid deliveries failing to match the scale or geographical reach of the previous U.N.-led operations. This made it even harder for the most vulnerable populations to access aid when they needed it most.
The areas around the G.H.F. distribution centers were often chaotic. (Credit: Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)
The foundation accused Hamas of attempting to hinder its efforts by threatening local staff, spreading false opening times, and inciting disorder at or near its sites.
Hamas denied these allegations and accused the foundation of bias. However, in July, the Hamas-controlled interior ministry in Gaza issued a statement declaring that anyone involved with or assisting the foundation would face “the most severe penalties stipulated” by law.
In June, Hamas fighters attacked a bus carrying Palestinians who worked for the G.H.F., killing twelve people, according to the foundation. Hamas did not claim responsibility for the assault.
Many Palestinians expressed that they would be content if the organization never returned to Gaza.
Ehab Fasfous, 52, a resident of Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, described the months of G.H.F. operations as among the war’s worst periods.
“The whole thing was criminal,” he lamented. “It was devoid of all humanity and dignity.”
A Palestinian injured in a stampede at a G.H.F. site in July. (Credit: Hatem Khaled/Reuters)