American diplomat pays a visit to Gaza amidst escalating concerns about hunger and food scarcity
In the midst of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a new controversy has arisen over the US-backed food distribution centers operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). These centers, established in late May 2025, were intended as an alternative to the traditional UN-led humanitarian operations, following Israeli authorities' decision to dismantle UN aid efforts and replace them with this militarized, private aid scheme.
The GHF centers, located in areas under full Israeli military control and secured by armed private American contractors, have been the subject of severe criticism. Human Rights Watch and the UN human rights office, along with medical testimony and humanitarian organizations like Doctors Without Borders, have highlighted that these centers have become sites of intense violence and deadly crushes, resulting in numerous injuries and deaths among Palestinians trying to obtain food.
Over 875 people have been killed trying to get food, with at least 674 of those deaths occurring near these GHF sites. Incidents include deadly crushes during chaotic scrambles, violent looting of aid by desperate people, and direct military attacks near these hubs. For instance, an Israeli military shelling in July 2025 resulted in the deaths and injuries of Palestinians at a GHF site.
Critics argue that the GHF scheme institutionalizes starvation as a weapon of war by maintaining Israel’s full siege on Gaza, rather than allowing adequate humanitarian aid to flow freely. The operation strips people of dignity and safety, forcing desperate crowds into dangerous and violent situations. Medical teams have documented hundreds of injuries caused by crowd crushes and fights, including many serious cases treated by Doctors Without Borders.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of Germany, a staunch Israeli ally, has delivered a blunt message to Netanyahu, urging the government to provide humanitarian and medical aid to prevent mass starvation. However, the Israeli military has been under international pressure to end the bloodshed in Gaza that has killed more than 60,249 Palestinians and threatened many with famine.
Amidst this crisis, at least 49 hostages, including a "single-digit" number of German-Israeli dual nationals, remain held in Gaza. The Hamas-led October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to official figures. Additionally, at least 1,373 people have been killed seeking aid in Gaza since May 27, according to the UN's rights office.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, visited Gaza with Steve Witkoff to learn about private aid sites run by the GHF. However, the UN rights office has reported that 859 of the killed Palestinians were near US-backed food sites and 514 along routes used by UN and aid agency convoys. The UN office has also accused these centers of exacerbating humanitarian suffering rather than alleviating it.
References:
- Human Rights Watch Report on GHF Centers
- UN rights office report on GHF Centers
- The controversy surrounding the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) centers has expanded to the realm of politics, with foreign ministers and ambassadors voicing concerns about the violent conditions at these sites.
- Amidst the health-and-wellness crisis in Gaza, these GHF centers, operated in war-and-conflicts zones and secured by private armed contractors, have been alleged to contribute to the general-news story of intense violence, causing numerous injuries and deaths among Palestinians trying to obtain food.
- The UN rights office has reported that a significant number of deaths and injuries have occurred near US-backed food sites, raising questions about the role of these centers in exacerbating, rather than alleviating, crime-and-justice issues such as looting and military attacks.
