Photo source : Jaber Jehad Badwan, (A girl walks inside Gaza during the Gaza-Israel war to get food)
Gaza City, Palestine – 09 June 2025 —
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has plunged to unprecedented depths as a new American-Israeli aid initiative faces widespread condemnation from local authorities, international organizations, and human rights observers. The so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), launched in February 2025 and backed by the United States and Israel, has come under fire for its controversial distribution strategy and alleged complicity in exacerbating Gaza’s unfolding famine.
Aid Under Fire
The Government Media Office in Gaza has fiercely denounced the GHF, calling it a “propaganda front” for the Israeli military. In a blistering statement received by Safa News Agency, the office accused GHF of operating under the guise of humanitarianism while facilitating “organized crimes” against the civilian population.
According to the statement, the foundation, led until recently by former U.S. Marine Jake Wood, has caused over 130 civilian deaths and nearly 1,000 injuries in just two weeks, as desperate Palestinians attempted to reach aid checkpoints under Israeli military control. Nine individuals remain missing.
“The so-called GHF lacks all principles of humanitarian action — neutrality, non-alignment, independence, and humanity,” the media office said. “It is merely an extension of the occupation’s genocidal machinery.”
The foundation’s centralized distribution model, which is secured by Israeli military forces and private U.S.-based contractors, has bypassed long-established international humanitarian agencies such as UNRWA. This model has proven chaotic and deadly, with recent incidents in Rafah spiraling out of control.
Hebrew media reports confirmed that the first major GHF distribution attempt failed disastrously. Armed security personnel reportedly abandoned their posts as throngs of starving civilians stormed the aid centers. Israeli forces opened fire on the crowds, leading to numerous injuries. Witnesses described scenes of “total collapse,” with civilians seizing everything from food supplies to furniture in desperation.
GHF’s Defense: Transparency and Oversight
GHF insists that its model offers a “secure, transparent, and innovative” approach to deliver aid amid collapsed traditional mechanisms. According to GHF documents, the group is governed by a board including former World Central Kitchen CEO Nate Mook and ex-U.S. military leaders. It claims its sites are neutral and independent of Israeli forces, relying on armored logistics and private contractors for security.
The Foundation has committed to external audits, secure donor channels, and real-time impact monitoring. However, critics argue that no amount of auditing can mask the political underpinnings of a system coordinated with one side of an armed conflict.
Observers warn that GHF’s operations, situated near the Egyptian border, risk enabling forced displacement under the guise of humanitarian assistance. International humanitarian leaders, including UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini, have condemned these sites as “death traps,” while Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross continue to treat those injured while trying to access aid. Far from providing relief, GHF’s militarized model may be deepening the suffering it claims to address.
Humanitarian Principles Abandoned
The GHF claims to have distributed 8,000 food boxes since its operations began on May 26 — a figure that, at most, supports 44,000 people for only half a week in a region where over two million people face acute food insecurity. Critics argue the GHF not only fails to meet humanitarian needs but also undermines impartial relief efforts.
Former Executive Director Jake Wood resigned on May 25, citing the impossibility of fulfilling GHF’s objectives while adhering to humanitarian principles. “I will not be part of anything that forcibly dislocates or displaces the Palestinian population,” Wood stated. His resignation was followed by the appointment of American evangelical leader Johnnie Moore Jr. as Executive Chairman — a move that has drawn further scrutiny over the organization’s motives and neutrality.
The foundation has also been accused of misappropriating resources. According to Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor’s Rami Abdo, the aid distributed in Rafah was originally intended for distribution by the Rahma International Foundation but was seized and redistributed under GHF branding.
Starvation as a Weapon
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has sounded the alarm on worsening famine conditions. As of May 2025, the average calorie intake in Gaza has fallen to just 1,400 calories per day — far below the 2,300 needed for basic survival. In its latest report, the FAO declared: “The findings reveal systemic and escalating violations of international humanitarian law, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare.”
Despite repeated appeals from the United Nations and binding orders from the International Court of Justice, Israel continues to restrict humanitarian access. Over 55,000 aid trucks have been blocked in recent months, and only a fraction of the 2,297 tonnes of food required daily is being allowed entry.
Even optimistic UN simulations indicate only 1,470 calories per person per day were available as of mid-May — levels that could trigger irreversible malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
The FAO also cited a recent Lancet study projecting that up to 186,000 people could die from indirect causes — hunger, untreated disease, or injuries — by the end of the conflict.
International Condemnation and Inaction
International organizations, including the United Nations, Red Cross, and WHO, have rejected the GHF-led aid mechanism outright. UNRWA, Gaza’s primary relief agency for decades, has been sidelined based on unsubstantiated Israeli accusations of bias — claims which the UN says remain unsupported by any credible evidence.
Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, reiterated the agency’s readiness to deliver aid “at scale” but noted that Israeli authorities have consistently blocked cooperation and denied access.
“We are in a race against time to prevent widespread starvation,” said WFP Country Director Antoine Renard. “What is happening in Gaza is a preventable disaster. What we need is not experiments with unproven systems but unrestricted humanitarian access now.”
A Preventable Catastrophe
The chaos surrounding GHF’s operations has highlighted the dangers of politicizing aid and sidelining experienced humanitarian agencies. The use of hunger as a means of control, the criminalization of relief efforts, and the deaths of thousands in the face of bureaucratic and military obstruction point to a catastrophic failure of international responsibility.
With over 52,700 Palestinians confirmed dead and tens of thousands more missing, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is no longer just a tragedy — it is an indictment of the systems meant to protect civilian life during war.
The world watches, but for Gaza’s civilians, time and options are running out.
