A US-backed group seeks to take over Gaza aid distribution in a plan similar to Israel’s

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A US-backed group seeks to take over Gaza aid distribution in a plan similar to Israel’s

[html]A makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across Gaza City on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

2025-05-08T20:20:09Z

                                       

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A group of American security contractors, ex-military officers and humanitarian aid officials is proposing to take over the distribution of food and other supplies in Gaza based on plans similar to ones designed by Israel.

The Associated Press obtained a proposal from the newly created group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to implement a new aid distribution system supplanting the current one run by the U.N. and other international aid agencies. The U.N. and aid groups have rejected         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aid-displacement-humanitarian-crisis-ddcd504e37edeb52ef70772a70e76941">Israel’s moves to control aid distribution.

           
               
                   

   

       
   


       

       
     
   

   
   
       

   

   
       

   

   
       

   

   
       

   

   
       

   

   
       

   
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Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

               
           
       
       
   

   
   
   


               
           
       

It was not immediately clear if the proposal from the new group, which is registered in Geneva, would ease those concerns.

Israel has         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aid-hunger-israel-hamas-b7429c043bc9d01717713eab21bae546">blocked food, fuel, medicine and all other supplies from entering Gaza for 10 weeks, worsening a humanitarian crisis for 2.3 million Palestinians. It has said it won’t allow aid back in until a system is in place that gives it control over distribution.

The 14-page proposal circulated this week among aid groups and U.N. officials lays out plans similar to ones Israel has been discussing privately for weeks with international aid groups. The proposal reveals for the first time plans to create the foundation and names the people leading it.

   
       
   

   
       



   

A U.N. official said last week that Israel’s plans would “weaponize aid” by placing restrictions on who is eligible to receive it.

Aid workers have also criticized the plans, which would centralize distribution at four hubs under the protection of private security contractors. They say the plans could not possibly meet the needs of         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-blockade-malnutrition-children-6c2bf9a5c628626836ebd6ecda3dedf2">Gaza’s large and desperate population, and that they would forcibly displace large numbers of Palestinians by driving them to move nearer to the aid.

   
   
       
           
               
   
   


   
   

       
   

           
       
   
   

Under the new group’s proposal, Palestinians would receive pre-packaged rations, potable water, hygiene kits, blankets, and other supplies at the distribution hubs. The group said it wants to partner with the U.N. and international aid groups in handing out their supplies.

   
       
   

A U.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the proposal and said the former director of the U.N. World Food Program, David Beasley, is the lead choice to run GHF. The proposal could still be revised and Beasley’s role is not confirmed, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to detail plans that have not been made public.

Beasley, a former governor of South Carolina, didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Israel accuses Hamas and other militants of siphoning off large amounts of aid. The U.N and aid workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the U.N. strictly monitors distribution.

When contacted Thursday for comment about GHF’s proposal, Israeli officials did not immediately respond.

U.S. backing for the foundation

   
       
   

The Trump administration supports the new group’s proposal, said a person involved in it. The person said GHF would work “within the confines” set by Israel on aid but would be “independent and committed to humanitarian principles” — a nod to U.N. concerns. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a plan not yet made public.

“This is a new approach with one focus: Get help to people. Right now,” said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

           
               
                   

   

       
   


       

       
     
   

   
   
       

   

   
       

   

   
       

   

   
       

   

   
       

   

   
       

   
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Displaced Palestinians live in a school that has been converted into a shelter in Gaza City amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

               
           
       
       
   

   
   
   


               
           
       

Ahead of his first trip to the Middle East this week, U.S. President Donald Trump said “a lot of talk” was going on about Gaza and that his administration will soon have more to say about a new proposal. This may include a new push for a         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-netanyahu-hamas-israel-ceasefire-595b92c10bddc4f3e7008710792e7877">ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the release of hostages and an influx of aid to Palestinians.

Aryeh Lightstone, a senior member of         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/steve-witkoff-special-envoy-russia-ukraine-mideast-d26c80c87a57fd3a811e4b0aa0eda58e">U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s team, was involved in briefing U.N. agencies and aid groups about the foundation as they gathered in Geneva on Thursday, according to two humanitarian workers briefed on the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment to the media.

Who’s involved?

GHF’s proposal names a 10-member leadership team that includes former senior American military officers, business executives and officials from aid groups. At least two of them have ties to private security companies.

   
       
   

Beasley is listed among them, but the proposal says his role is still “to be finalized.” Beasley is also a senior advisor to Fogbow, a private U.S. firm that participated in the short-lived project delivering aid to Gaza by sea via a U.S. military-built pier.

The AP contacted people listed in the proposal to confirm their participation. Only one responded, saying he was “not on the board.” The person involved in planning said the list was still in flux.

How would it work?

According to the proposal, GHF would initially set up four distribution sites, each serving 300,000 people. That would cover about half of Gaza’s population. The system would be scaled up to meet the needs of 2 million people. But the proposal does not give a timeframe. Aid workers warn that food is rapidly running out in Gaza under Israel’s blockade.

The GHF proposal said subcontractors will use armored vehicles to transport supplies from the Gaza border to distribution sites, where they will also provide security. It said the aim is to deter criminal gangs or militants from redirecting aid.