GHF aid threatens Hamas control in Gaza, UN trying to undermine efforts, IDF sources say
Hamas fears losing control over vital humanitarian supplies, demanding that distribution returns to the UN.
The early success of the American-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation-run aid centers has the ability to significantly dent Hamas's control over food distribution in the coastal enclave, The Jerusalem Post learned Friday.
However, distribution of aid through the GHF has become a tumultuous point in current ceasefire negotiations and has raised many questions.
IDF sources have confirmed that at least four food distribution centers have already begun partial operations — three in the south and one in central Gaza — providing over 1.2 million meals through an estimated 3,550 to 5,000 boxes. Each package can feed a family of five for five to seven days.
This initiative, carried out largely through convoys of more than 30 trucks each carrying at least 1,000 packages, is seen by some as a potential blow to Hamas's longstanding control over food supplies. Analysts suggest that while Hamas remains the dominant armed presence in Gaza, its political grip, especially in controlling vital resources, could be significantly undermined.
A source said the IDF currently inspects around 60,000 aid packages every day to ensure proper distribution. It is expected to take about two weeks before all four centers reach full operational capacity. Plans are also underway for at least four more centers to open in the future.
A US-backed hostage deal is currently in limbo as Israel has agreed to the terms, while Hamas has currently rejected them without fully walking away from negotiations. The current deal proposal includes returning the distribution of the humanitarian aid in Gaza to the UN.
Analysts believe that the fact that Hamas included a stipulation of removing aid distribution from the GHF further shows that the terror group fears that the initiative will undermine its control in Gaza.
Meanwhile, organized crime and local gangs, separate from Hamas, have reportedly hijacked food shipments. 'Sometimes it's Hamas, sometimes it's just desperate people,' one official explained. 'Sometimes it's local gangs not connected to Hamas at all.'
The humanitarian crisis has been worsened by the movement of nearly 900,000 Palestinians from northern Gaza into the densely populated Gaza City following the latest wave of fighting.
This concentration of displaced residents is placing enormous strain on aid efforts, with only a single food center currently operating in the central region.
Adding to the tension are strong accusations from the IDF that the UN has acted as if it lacks the capacity to move food to northern Gaza, thereby stalling hundreds of aid trucks at the Kerem Shalom crossing point. Earlier this week, Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said that the UN is reducing cooperation with Israel's food initiative, complicating the distribution of aid and effectively playing into Hamas's hands.
On Monday, Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said there are 10,000 aid trucks on the Gaza border, cleared and ready to go.
'We've got 10,000 trucks on the border right now, cleared [and] ready to go, and we'll do everything to get them in and save lives,' Fletcher told CNN's Christine Amanpour on Monday.
When she repeated the number back to him incredulously, Fletcher nodded and replied, 'Full of food.'
COGAT posted a clip of the interview on X/Twitter, saying, 'Look, it's @UNReliefChief with another libelous lie.'
'There are no 10,000 trucks waiting to go into Gaza. What there are, are hundreds of trucks' worth of aid the UN hasn't picked up from the Gazan side over the last few days, after we gave you plenty of routes you can use to safely distribute the aid throughout Gaza.'
On Thursday, COGAT accused UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric of lying about Fletcher's recent visits to Gaza and the UN's framing of the Gaza humanitarian aid issue.
COGAT noted that while Dujarric claimed Fletcher had seen Gaza "with his own eyes a few weeks ago," the UN official had actually not visited the enclave since February.
"Let's stop focusing on aid that might be in the pipeline, and start collecting the content of the 550 trucks already waiting for you inside Gaza," COGAT wrote. "For a full week now, we've been offering you alternative routes to facilitate pickup. These are areas with active military activities, and coordination is for your own safety.
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.
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