The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has been running approximately three large food distribution sites since May, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that it has paused its operations due to the current ceasefire and hostage deal, but that it intends to continue at some undefined future point.
The GHF has been sending out daily updates regarding exactly how many meals were provided from each distinct site, with sites two and three, in Rafah and Khan Yunis, being the most active.
Usually, it distributes between 700,000 and 1,000,000 meals per day.
However, there was no update on Saturday, and the GHF’s response to the Post’s inquiry indicated there will be no updates Sunday or Monday either, and potentially for several days or longer.
“Over the next few days, during the transfer of the hostages to Israel, there will be tactical changes in GHF operations, and temporary closures of some distribution sites may occur. There is no change to our long-term plan,” GHF told the Post.
In other words, the GHF plans to keep distributing food to Gazans but is evaluating the lay of the land in which the IDF has already withdrawn to certain lines and will be withdrawing more in the future, which will likely leave the organization more exposed.
There have been indications from US and Israeli officials that there was a desire for the GHF to continue, but no one knows yet when the expected Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA) and the International Security Force (ISF) referred to in the Trump ceasefire plan will take over from Hamas or how that process will work.
The presumption is that the GHF will only be able to operate if it has some force providing it general regional security, even though the organization has its own internal facility security personnel.
On Friday, UG Solutions, which handles the security aspects of GHF’s operations, put out a press release saying, “The need for humanitarian aid in Gaza is great, far more than any one organization can provide, as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has stated on numerous occasions.
“As the United Nations (UN), international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and local Palestinian NGOs ramp up aid delivery in accordance with the UN 2720 system, UG Solutions remains ready to assist with any security needs that may arise to protect personnel, logistics lines, and infrastructure.
“Without a doubt, the coming weeks will be unsteady as a new leadership structure for Gaza comes into existence, the flow of people back to their home areas commences, and aid delivery comes back online for organizations that were inactive over the last several months.
“Our cadre of American veterans have some of the best insights on the current security realities on the ground and ways to best mitigate threats.”
GHF faces concerns
The GHF has received mixed reviews during its more than four months of operations.
On one hand, it has provided 185 million meals to date, an objectively impressive feat, and it has a better record than most UN aid groups in getting food directly to Gazans, with less being siphoned off by Hamas.
On the other hand, the organization has been beset with rollout problems since its start, followed by multiple incidents where IDF soldiers accidentally killed Palestinian civilians on their way to receive food, or by Hamas purposely killing some of those civilians.
In addition, most UN aid groups have boycotted cooperating with the GHF, viewing it as an arm of Israeli policy, even though Israel is not formally running the organization.