The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.- and Israeli-backed alternative to the United Nations (UN), began providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, as seen in video obtained exclusively by Breitbart News.
The U.S. and Israel backed the GHF, a non-profit organization, due to evidence that the UN and its associated relief agencies are tied to Hamas, and that Hamas steals aid provided through the UN.
The GHF model is to establish specific sites within Gaza where Palestinians can go to collect aid. The UN has rejected this model, ostensibly because it requires Palestinians to cross dangerous areas, but — the U.S. and Israel suspect — because the UN does not want outside efforts to disrupt current relationships with Hamas.
A source familiar with operations at one of the safe distribution sites (SDS’s) said that, “per witnesses, Hamas set up a roadblock in an attempt to prevent people from reaching one of the SDS’s. A few hours later, Palestinians managed to break through the blockade.
“By the afternoon, people were collecting boxes and some shouted, ‘Thank you, America!’”
Video obtained by Breitbart News shows large numbers of people standing in line for aid, with some waving and chanting, apparently saying “Thank you, America!” and “We love America!”
Israel is currently planning to take over 75% of Gaza, mostly in the south, and distribute aid there via GHF. According to the Wall Street Journal, the northern portion of Gaza will — for now — still be served by the UN.
The Journal noted:
[Israel] has built three complexes in southern Gaza and one in central Gaza where hundreds of American contractors will distribute aid to Palestinians [via GHF], according to an Israeli official.
The new aid will require a representative from each Palestinian family to come to one of the complexes to pick up an aid package every five days. The United Nations and aid groups, which have refused to participate in the plan, say it is too dangerous because it requires Palestinians to travel through a war zone for food and violates their principles of neutrality because Israel would be controlling the aid.
The Times of Israel reported over the weekend that GHF suffered a setback when its CEO, Jake Wood, resigned, saying that “it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”
Nevertheless, the GHF confirmed Tuesday that it had begun distributing aid at several of its sites across the Gaza Strip.
GHF’s success is essential to the joint U.S.-Israel goal of rooting out Hamas from Gaza.
President Donald Trump has been optimistic about the prospect of a hostage deal, but in the meantime the alternative plan — an Israeli takeover, followed by transfer of control to the United States — is taking effect.
Humanitarian aid is seen as necessary to the success of that goal, because international pressure against the ongoing Israeli operation — while legal under international law — would make it more difficult to complete.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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