Hamas places bounty on aid workers: GHF

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) published a statement on June 28 acknowledging ‘credible’ reports that Hamas has placed bounties on aid workers, including American personnel. The statement adds to the increasing evidence that Hamas is actively attempting to undermine the GHF, as the nonprofit has become the primary source of aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“We are aware of credible reports that Hamas is openly targeting the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and those who work with us. According to these reports, Hamas has placed bounties on both our American security personnel and Palestinian aid workers — offering cash rewards to anyone who injures or kills them,” the GHF stated.

The GHF also noted that Hamas has positioned armed operatives near humanitarian zones to undermine the aid delivery system.

Despite the threats, the GHF said it will continue to provide assistance to Palestinians and remain alert to potential acts of violence.

“Right now, GHF is the only consistent option for aid delivery in Gaza, which means that the Palestinian people are counting on us to show up every day and deliver as much aid as we can. While we remain vigilant, these threats will not deter us from fulfilling our mission to provide free, nutritious food directly to the people of Gaza, without interference or diversion,” a GHF spokesperson told FDD’s Long War Journal.

Recurring threats by Hamas

Hamas’s threats against GHF staff are not a recent development. The terror organization and its affiliates have killed GHF staff, published threatening rhetoric against the aid group and Palestinians who associate with it, and embedded operatives at a GHF distribution site.

On June 11, 10 members of the GHF’s local workforce, on their way to a distribution site, were murdered by Hamas, according to the GHF.

Days before the murders, Hamas and the Arrow Unit published statements deriding the new aid mechanism. They warned Palestinians that they would become a target of the “resistance” if they associated themselves with entities linked to Israel and the United States.

“We affirm that the resistance security forces and units now have full authorization and mandate to strike forcefully and decisively against any entity or individual that collaborates or coordinates with the enemy’s schemes or any treasonous entity outside the law and the traditions of our people. All collaborators, thieves, and criminal armed gangs are legitimate targets for the resistance units and security,” the Hamas statement said.

Between late May and early June, suspected members of Hamas’s Arrow Unit operated at a GHF site to undermine the distribution of aid, a US security official familiar with operations at the nonprofit’s distribution facility told Long War Journal. The source was provided anonymity due to concerns about their safety.

History of Hamas attacks

While the GHF did not offer details on how Hamas would attack American personnel and other staff, the Islamist organization and its affiliates have experience attacking static targets manned by armed personnel.

Between 2018 and 2023, Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza routinely attacked the border with Israel to compel the Jewish state to allow additional funds, fuel, and aid into the enclave.

Amid civilian protests called the “March of Return,” Hamas and other groups’ operatives, often armed with grenades, pistols, and wire cutters, regularly sabotaged the border fence and attacked Israeli troops. Additional methods of low-intensity warfare were also employed by terrorist groups to disrupt the lives of Israelis living adjacent to the Gaza border.

Terrorists regularly used explosives at the security fence and hurled Molotov cocktails at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops while embedded in crowds of Palestinian civilians.

On August 21, 2021, a Hamas terrorist armed with a pistol shot and killed an Israeli border police officer during a riot at the security fence. The shooting was not isolated, as there were other instances of gunfire against Israeli troops during protests at the border.

Besides gunfire, there are documented incidents where terrorists used the protests to plant charges at the border fence to injure or kill troops; at least one of these attempts was successful.

Despite Hamas’s threats to harm its personnel, the GHF continues to disburse aid to needy Palestinians. On June 29, the organization distributed more than one million meals, bringing the total to over 51 million since it began providing assistance, the GHF stated. Adding to the possibility that the GHF will remain in Gaza for the foreseeable future, the US State Department approved $30 million in funding for the aid organization on June 26.

Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.