Wafric News – May 9, 2025

A controversial U.S.-backed plan to redirect humanitarian aid in Gaza has sparked a firestorm of criticism, as officials attempt to bypass the United Nations and shift control to a new entity known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

According to U.S. and Israeli sources, the proposed foundation would take over the delivery of aid in the besieged Palestinian territory, with Israeli forces providing "security" but staying out of direct distribution. The move has raised fears that humanitarian relief is being politicized — and weaponized — during one of the region’s worst crises in recent memory.

Announced Thursday by U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, the GHF is described as a "charitable, non-governmental" initiative. But critics say the plan is anything but neutral.

Rather than working through established international organizations, such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the U.S. appears to be orchestrating a parallel system designed to limit Hamas’ access to aid — while also giving Israel unprecedented control over distribution channels.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee, speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv on Friday, said the GHF will manage the operation and that Israeli forces would offer "security" for the aid convoys. However, details remain scarce.

“What we know is that the people of Gaza are suffering, and the international community is watching a new form of aid colonialism unfold,” said one humanitarian official who declined to be named for security reasons.

Under the plan, Palestinians would be required to travel to designated “Secure Distribution Sites” — four aid hubs reportedly designed to serve roughly 300,000 people each. These locations, backed by private security contractors, echo Israel's own recent aid proposal and would require many displaced Gazans to relocate again just to access food or medicine.

This model has already drawn widespread criticism, with the UN warning that Palestinians have repeatedly been attacked while collecting aid under Israeli fire.

“The danger is not doing anything,” Huckabee said when questioned about the risk. “People are dying of hunger.”

But humanitarian groups say the danger lies in dismantling neutral, established aid systems and replacing them with politically driven alternatives.

Since March 2, Israel has completely halted aid into Gaza — worsening a crisis that has already claimed at least 57 lives through starvation, most of them children, the elderly, and the chronically ill.

According to WafricNews sources, U.S. officials are considering appointing David Beasley, former head of the UN World Food Programme, to lead the GHF. Talks are reportedly ongoing between the U.S., Israel, and other regional players.

But UN officials have not minced words. Speaking on Tuesday, UN humanitarian agency spokesperson Jens Laerke said the U.S.-Israeli plan appears to be “a deliberate attempt to weaponize the aid.”

“This is not just about logistics. This is about whether humanitarian principles still matter,” Laerke added. “Aid must be guided by need — not politics.”

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents — most displaced multiple times since the war resumed — are facing extreme shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. The new aid proposal does little to address the root causes of the crisis and may further entrench suffering by limiting access based on location and political alignment.

Despite promises of a safer and more “effective” aid delivery model, many in the international community remain skeptical.

“The world must not look away as Gaza is starved under the guise of reform,” said a spokesperson for Médecins Sans Frontières.

As pressure mounts on all sides, the real question remains: who benefits from this plan — and who gets left behind?


By WafricNews Global Desk.