Hamas attack on aid workers leaves eight dead as org fears some were 'taken hostage'

Fox News

a day ago

An unprovoked Hamas attack on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) workers left at least eight people dead and many others injured, as the U.S.-backed organization fears some team members may have been taken hostage.
"We carefully considered closing our sites today given the heightened security risks and safety concerns, but we decided that the best response to Hamas' cowardly murderers was to keep delivering food for the people of Gaza who are counting on us. We will not be deterred from our mission towards providing food security for the Palestinian people in Gaza," GHF interim Executive Director John Acree said in a statement.
"Last night's ambush was a ruthless assault on those who represent the very best of humanity. These were local aid workers – our colleagues – risking their lives to bring food to those who are starving. They weren't combatants. They had no political affiliations. They were there to serve their own people, and they were hunted down by Hamas," GHF Executive Chairman Rev. Johnnie Moore told Fox News Digital. "We are heartbroken, but we're not backing down. We call on the international community to condemn this unprovoked, barbaric attack and start standing with those of us who are doing the work on the ground. We cannot do it alone. All we want to do is feed people. That's all."
In an earlier statement on the attack, GHF said that "for days" Hamas had been threatening its team and aid workers, as well as civilians who receive aid from the organization. In the same statement, GHF called on the international community to condemn Hamas.
"Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people," GHF's statement read.
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted about the attack on X and asked whether the United Nations would condemn it.
The United Nations and GHF have been at odds as the international body criticized the U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization and doubted its ability to bring aid to the people of Gaza. In May, Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon accused the U.N. of removing NGOs from a shared aid database after the groups defied a call by the international body to boycott GHF.
Moore also slammed the U.N. for its silence in the face of Hamas' threats of violence against aid workers and questioned the organization's absence following the deadly attack.
"The UN – worse, much worse, than silence they continue their vicious slander against our mission. A mission with one goal: FEED GAZA! The principle of impartiality does not mean neutrality. There is good and evil in this world. What we are doing is good and what Hamas did to these Gazans is absolute evil," Moore wrote in a post on X.
"I am sorry it has come to this but again we extend our hand to UN, the WFP, the ICRC, the EU, the GCC, and the world – join us. We can do this together. Or for God's sake, for the sake of humanity, if you're not going to join us at least have the courage to boycott HAMAS, not us."
Since the launch of its operations late last month, GHF has reportedly distributed approximately 18,647,662 meals via roughly 316,320 boxes. Moore recently told Fox News Digital that Palestinians who have received aid from GHF have been thanking the U.S. and President Donald Trump for the assistance.
Neither the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres nor the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment in time for publication.