US security assault starving Palestinians at GHF aid distribution site
American security personnel working with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation threw stun grenades at Palestinians waiting to receive aid.
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Palestinians carry boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. (AP)
American security guards, in charge of distributing aid to starving Palestinians in Gaza, reportedly assaulted Palestinians waiting in line to receive aid packages provided by the problematic US-led Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Palestinian media released footage showing Palestinian civilians being targeted with stun grenades while waiting to receive humanitarian aid at a distribution site near the Netzarim Corridor.
جيش الاحتلال يطلق قنابل غاز على المواطنين خلال توجههم لاستلام مساعدات الشركة الأمريكية في نيتساريم وسط قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/6uYDOm9x9n
— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) May 29, 2025
This comes amid a fatal famine deliberately sustained by the Israeli occupation in Gaza. Last week, the Gaza Government Media Office announced in a statement that "Israel's" brutal blockade on humanitarian aid has killed hundreds of Gazans, and led to a sharp rise in miscarriages.
"The Israeli occupation's starvation policy in Gaza has led to the deaths of 326 people due to malnutrition and lack of food and medicine, along with over 300 miscarriages among pregnant women in just 80 days," the office stated.
International scrutiny
The US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, on the other hand, has faced intense international scrutiny for its close alignment with "Israel". The United Nations had previously refused to cooperate with GHF, while officials across the globe slammed it as a violation of international humanitarian law.
In turn, Jake Wood, the executive director of the foundation, announced his resignation on Sunday, stating the group’s aid delivery model could not be implemented without violating core humanitarian principles.
Now, after being publicly endorsed by US officials, GHF has come under sharp scrutiny due to a chaotic aid distribution rollout, opaque leadership, and growing allegations of politicizing humanitarian assistance amid the ongoing Israeli blockade on Gaza, The Guardian reported.
Instead of aiding starved Palestinians, the first days of its operation have been marked by disorder. Leaked video footage and on-the-ground reports showed large crowds storming a distribution point, prompting Israeli forces to fire what they called “warning shots” to disperse civilians.
Gaza health officials reported that at least one civilian was killed and 48 were injured during the incident. GHF, however, denied any casualties, claiming instead that 14,550 food boxes, equating to over 840,000 meals, had been distributed.
Another video documents the chaos as a result of the GHF's first day of operation in #Gaza.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 27, 2025
It's worth mentioning that the Israeli-backed group had bypassed humanitarian norms and mechanisms and employed a #US private company to maintain "security. pic.twitter.com/Tc7sWgtvgR
US distances itself from GHF
According to reports in The New York Times, the concept behind the GHF originated from Israeli officials during the early weeks of the war on Gaza, aimed at undermining the authority of Hamas. Allegations have also surfaced about links between GHF and private US security contractors.
The US State Department has attempted to distance itself from the organization. “This is not a State Department effort. We don’t have a plan,” said spokesperson Tammy Bruce during a recent press briefing.
She added that inquiries should be directed to GHF, which did not respond to requests for comment on its current leadership, legal status, or ties to US contractors.
Read more: 'Israel's' Gaza aid model is 'distraction from atrocities': UNRWA