Israel and U.S. Nearing Implementation of New Aid Delivery System in Gaza

Latest Developments

New Delivery Plan: The United States and Israel are reportedly nearing agreement on how to best resume aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip. After January’s truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed following Hamas’s rejection of a ceasefire extension, Israel suspended aid shipments, stating that Hamas was controlling “all of the supplies and goods” that were being delivered to the Gaza Strip at the time. The new aid delivery mechanism — involving secure hubs guarded by private contractors where Gazans would be able to receive one week’s worth of aid per family at specified times — is intended to allow supplies to reach the coastal enclave without falling into the hands of Hamas.
UN Denounces Proposed System: The United Nations and aid organizations operating in Gaza announced on May 4 that they would not cooperate with the proposed aid delivery plan, saying that it “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles.” The statement claimed the proposed mechanism would drive “civilians into militarized zones to collect rations, threatening lives, including those of humanitarian workers, while further entrenching forced displacement.”
Hamas Executes Gazans Over Alleged Looting: Over the past week, Hamas has executed a number of individuals it condemned as “looters,” accusing them of attacking food stores and community kitchens in Gaza. “We will strike with an iron fist all these renegades and we will take the necessary measures to deter them, no matter the cost,” the Hamas-run interior ministry said. Gazan residents have reported Hamas-imposed curfews beginning at 9 p.m.

FDD Expert Response

“For more than a year before the collapse of the ceasefire, Hamas exploited the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip to sustain its organizational infrastructure. Rather than distributing the aid freely, Hamas diverted a significant portion and sold it to the local population at inflated prices. This practice not only generated a steady revenue stream, but also enabled Hamas to continue financing its fighters and maintain control over the territory. Without cutting off Hamas’s access to financial resources — particularly those derived from the manipulation of aid — military and diplomatic pressure alone are unlikely to achieve the desired strategic outcomes for Israel.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“The United Nations has stated that the humanitarian aid distribution plan that the United States and Israel are creating would be opposed to ‘principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.’ The United Nations seems to prefer to return to a system where Hamas is in charge of distributing aid, which it will continue to exploit to enrich itself at the expense of the people of Gaza. Hamas knows humanitarian aid is a revenue stream that it can use to sustain its terrorist activities and target Israelis.” — Tyler Stapleton, Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action