Rahma Worldwide, a US-based humanitarian group, has denounced the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) for distributing aid in Gaza bearing Rahma's logo without authorization. The Michigan-based charity said it had no role in the distribution carried out by GHF, an Israeli-backed group that began food deliveries in Gaza this week amid rising hunger and limited access to humanitarian aid.

Images circulated by GHF as part of a media campaign showed food boxes labeled with Rahma's branding. The photos were released alongside GHF's announcement of its first delivery operation inside Gaza. The rollout, however, was marred by chaos, with crowds reportedly overrunning one site. Israeli forces said they fired "warning shots," while Gaza's health ministry reported one civilian killed and 48 injured during the incident.

The inclusion of Rahma's logo in GHF's press materials created the impression of a formal partnership, raising concern among observers given GHF's lack of experience and unclear funding sources. The controversy has added to broader criticism from the UN and humanitarian organizations, who have rejected the Israeli-coordinated distribution system led by GHF. Many argue that "Israel" is sidelining established humanitarian actors and using food as leverage in Gaza.

Logo Dispute

In a statement, Rahma clarified that while it had secured permits to deliver 4,000 food boxes into Gaza, Israeli restrictions prevented the shipment from entering. Given the urgent needs, Rahma agreed to let GHF take custody of the containers. However, the charity said it explicitly refused to participate in the distribution process due to GHF's use of armed private contractors.

"We noticed images of our food boxes with logo being distributed without Rahma's direct involvement," the group said. "Rahma did not authorise such distribution, and none of our team was permitted to participate in this process."

Rahma's executive director, Dr. Shadi Omar Zaza, said the organization agreed to let GHF move the aid only if Rahma's logo was removed.

"We stipulated that the Rahma logo be removed from the aid parcels," Zaza said. "To our surprise, the organisation's logo was not removed, and the security company distributed these parcels bearing the Rahma Worldwide logo."

Read more: US distances itself from Gaza aid group under scrutiny

He added that GHF's use of armed contractors violated Rahma's humanitarian standards. "We will not accept, and will not be part of, this aid distribution mechanism – because we do not allow armed actors," he said.

GHF has not yet issued a public response.