U.S. Responds to Gaza Aid Mission's Chaotic Start
The GHF, a U.S.-backed organization operating independently of the United Nations, has faced criticism from aid groups for its approach to aid distribution, which is designed to bypass Hamas in its war with Israel.
"As President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Marco] Rubio have clearly said — we support bold, out-of-the-box efforts to make life better for Gazans. GHF is doing exactly that. And we're proud to back their incredible mission," a senior U.S. administration official told Newsweek.
"The UN and other aid agencies were wrong to criticize. Aid is getting to the people in need, and through their secure distribution system, Israel is kept safe and Hamas empty handed."
The incident at the debut of the operation underscores the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has intensified scrutiny over the methods and management of aid distribution months after Israel imposed a blockade on the strip in the absence of a ceasefire with Hamas.
The U.S. State Department accused Hamas of attempting to "stop the aid movement through Gaza to these distribution centers," spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a Tuesday press briefing.
One video circulated on X captured hundreds of Palestinians surging through narrow, wired corridors toward the U.S.-backed aid distribution center in Gaza, reportedly after enduring prolonged waits under the scorching sun.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Colonel Nadav Shoshani wrote on X that IDF troops "fired warning shots in the area outside the compound" to control the situation.
Three Palestinians were wounded by gunshots, according to The Associated Press. According to the Gaza-run health ministry later, three people were killed, 46 were injured and seven were missing.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations on Monday. Recently launched with U.S. and Israeli backing, it has drawn criticism from the U.N. and Palestinians on the grounds of its ties to Israeli security and fears it could aid in displacing Gazans to the south.
Israel says U.N. agencies enable Hamas, while the U.N. accuses Israel of blocking life-saving assistance.
Senior U.S. administration official to Newsweek: "GHF is a threat to Hamas' longstanding system of looting the assistance intended for the people of Gaza. The UN and other aid agencies were wrong to criticize. Aid is getting to the people in need, and through their secure distribution system, Israel is kept safe and Hamas empty handed. Approximately 8,000 food boxes have been distributed so far. Each box feeds 5.5 people for 3.5 days, totaling 462,000 meals.
The media should take a moment to reflect why the UN and certain aid groups spent the weekend trying to undermine such an important effort. These organizations echoed Hamas talking points rather than praising those who are delivering results."
Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative told Al-Jazeera Mubasher Channel, in Arabic: "The Palestinian people thwarted an attempt to humiliate them in this brutal manner, which violates human dignity and the dignity of Palestinians. What happened today is a complete failure for the Israelis and for the United States, which stands with Israel in this matter."
Hamas in Arabic statement, via Telegram: "The scenes of thousands of our people rushing into the center designated for implementing the occupation's mechanism for aid distribution, and the accompanying live fire directed at citizens who had gathered at the distribution center under the pressure of hunger and siege, leave no room for doubt that this suspicious mechanism has failed. It has turned into a trap that endangers civilian lives and is being exploited to impose security control over the Gaza Strip under the guise of aid."
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA: "It is a distraction from what is actually needed, which is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure environment within Gaza and faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border; [aid] needs to get in."
As uncertainty on the ground looms over humanitarian assistance operations, Israel said hundreds of air trucks have been permission to enter and distribute food in Gaza.
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