US foundation eyes takeover of Gaza aid

[kevinUsa]

US-backed Gaza foundation proposal to keep aid from Hamas, but critics slam bypass of UN, Israeli threat to besieged Palestinian civilians.

The US and Israel have angered aid agencies with proposals to take control of aid operations in Gaza [File: Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency]

Published On 9 May 20259 May 2025

 

The United States has said a new foundation is being established to coordinate aid deliveries to Gaza amid Israel’s two-month blockade.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told reporters on Friday that Israel would not be involved in distributing aid in the enclave but would provide security for the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Recommended Stories

 

list of 4 items list 1 of 4

Israeli attacks kill dozens as UN demands lifting of ‘cruel’ Gaza blockade

list 2 of 4

Israel’s blockade of Gaza passes 60th day; US defends UNRWA ban at ICJ

list 3 of 4

Children in Gaza survive on ‘less than a meal a day’: Aid groups

list 4 of 4

ICJ hearing on Israel’s obligation to allow aid to Palestine: Key takeaways

end of list

The plan for the “charitable” and “non-governmental” initiative was announced on Thursday by State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. Although few details were revealed, it appears part of a US-Israeli push to take over the distribution of aid to prevent it from being diverted by Hamas and other groups.

The AP news agency reported that the newly created GHF had issued a proposal to implement a new aid distribution system, supplanting the current one run by the United Nations and other international aid agencies.

Reports claim that under the proposal, private contractors will be used to secure hubs where Palestinians will be required to gather to collect supplies.

Mike Huckabee said Israel would provide security for the US foundation (File: Reuters]

Israel, which has halted the entry of all aid to Gaza since March 2, deepening the humanitarian crisis, has previously said it will not relax the blockade until a system is in place that gives it control over the distribution, insisting that supplies are used to support Hamas.

The intention to sideline the UN has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian organisations, and it is unclear if the GHF proposal will ease those concerns.

“There’s only one word to describe this, and this is aid-washing. This is a cynical attempt by the state of Israel and its allies … to use aid to hide the fact that what’s actually going on is people are being starved into submission,” Chris Gunness, a former UNWRA – the UN agency for Palestinian refugees – spokesperson, told Al Jazeera.

“They’re being starved as a part of the mass and illegal force displacement, which is very much part of Israel’s genocidal ambitions against the Palestinians.”

Gunness added that the proposal is also an “attempt by Israel to destroy UNRWA”, stating that UNRWA is the only organisation that has the infrastructure, the staff, the vehicles, the food distribution centres and warehouses “to stave off mass starvation in Gaza”.

Sign up for Al Jazeera

Americas Coverage Newsletter

US politics, Canada’s multiculturalism, South America’s geopolitical rise—we bring you the stories that matter.

Subscribe

 

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy

protected by reCAPTCHA

The US State Department’s Bruce promised further announcements regarding the proposal would follow soon.

“I was hoping to introduce it today, but the foundation will be announcing this shortly,” she said.

The former executive director of the UN World Food Programme David Beasley is in talks with the US, Israel and other key players to head the GHF, reported US outlet Axis, quoting unnamed sources.

Israel’s blockade, implemented about two weeks before it resumed its bombardment of the enclave, has left Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, most of whom have been displaced multiple times, desperately short of food, fuel, and medicine.