New humanitarian aid initiative begins in southern Gaza as combat continues

A US-backed humanitarian initiative began to deliver aid in Gaza on May 27. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started work at two locations in the territory and seeks to provide assistance to feed hundreds of thousands of people as it expands its efforts. The foundation works with private security contractors who help secure the sites, and its program is facilitated by cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The new initiative has taken shape over the last month. On May 4, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a new military offensive in Gaza that envisioned separating civilians from Hamas’s control and moving them to southern Gaza. On May 9, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee announced that the US would support a new aid initiative in the territory. “President Trump has made very clear that one of the most urgent things that needs to happen is humanitarian aid into Gaza, and he has tasked all of his team to do everything possible to accelerate that and to as expeditiously as possible get humanitarian aid in, to the people,” Huckabee said.

The IDF carved out several sites for the new aid delivery that are accessed by roads leading to a flattened area the size of a football field, where assistance is collected on tables. Earthen berms were built to segregate the sites from the surrounding environment, with paths for egress and ingress of security and aid personnel, as well as civilians. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it will seek to provide assistance to 300,000 people at each of the four initial sites. The organization expects to expand its capacity to help up to 2 million people.

“The centers are operated by international aid organizations and secured by an American civilian security company in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said on May 27, adding that the operation is conducted “in accordance with the directive of the political echelon and in close coordination with the United States.” The IDF said two of the four centers began work on May 27. They include a site close to the water and a second location further inland. Both are near the suburbs of Rafah in the Tel al Sultan area. The IDF has cleared buildings in this area of civilians and terrorists, along with the Morag Corridor that leads to the sites.

The IDF noted that establishing this new humanitarian initiative “coincided with an ongoing dialogue and cooperation with the IDF, through the Southern Command and the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), as well as international aid organizations, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and the American civilian security company.” COGAT is an IDF organization that has facilitated the delivery of aid to Gaza over the past 19 months of war, including dealing with trucks entering the territory via Kerem Shalom and other crossings. The IDF said it will “continue to facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip, while making every possible effort to ensure that the aid does not reach the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization.”

During the first day of operation, one of the aid sites at Tel al Sultan “descended into chaos” as large numbers of civilians rushed the distribution area, forcing the private security and aid workers to temporarily withdraw that afternoon. The IDF said its troops, who maintain control outside of the site, fired warning shots during the incident and re-established control. The delivery of assistance is expected to continue despite the incident. Over 8,000 packages were distributed, each of which can “sustain five and a half people for three and a half days.”

The aid delivery began as the IDF continued combat operations in the territory. On May 27, a soldier from the 924th Engineering Corps Battalion of the 10th Reserve Infantry Brigade was severely injured in combat in northern Gaza. The IDF states that the 162^nd Division, with its Givati Infantry Brigade and 401^st Armored Brigade, is operating in northern Gaza.

The IDF’s 98^th and 36^th Divisions have been operating in Rafah and Khan Younis. The 36^th Division includes elements of the Golani and Kfir Infantry Brigades and the 188^th Armored Brigade and is backed by the 282^nd Artillery Brigade. The IDF said dozens of terrorists were eliminated between May 19 and 26 in sectors where the 36^th Division was fighting. These are some of the 800 terrorists the IDF estimates it has killed in Gaza since March.

IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited the 36^th Division on May 25 and said, “This is not an endless war—we aim to end it by achieving its objectives. We’re aiming for the decisive defeat of Hamas.”

The Israeli Air Force also continues to strike Hamas. In one 40-hour period between May 24 and 26, over 200 targets were hit in Gaza. They included individual terrorists, “weapon storage facilities, sniper and anti-tank missile posts, tunnel shafts, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites,” the IDF said.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).