The U.S. State Department will provide $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and is calling on other countries to support the private endeavor, an alternative to the United Nations that facilitates entry and delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza and aims to avoid Hamas looters.
“We call on other countries to also support the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its critical work,” Tommy Pigott, the department’s deputy spokesman, told reporters on Thursday.
The foundation’s “track record of distributing over 46 million meals to date, all while preventing Hamas looting, is absolutely incredible and should be commended and supported,” Pigott said.
“This commitment reflects a simple truth: Americans deeply care about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and want to see real action—starting with getting food to those who need it most without interference by Hamas and other militants,” stated John Acree, the foundation’s interim executive director.
“Now is the time for unity and collaboration,” Acree said. “We look forward to other aid and humanitarian organizations joining us so we can feed even more Gazans, together.”
The foundation, which includes American management, contractors and private security forces, has said that it has delivered 46 million meals since its launch. Its operations have also been marred by violence, including shootings near its delivery sites.
Many news outlets, citing Hamas claims, reported that Israeli troops fired on aid seekers. The foundation has said that the violence hasn’t occurred at its delivery sites, and the Israeli military has said that it fires only on suspicious groups and not on civilians.
Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip have also been known to fire upon aid seekers.
Pigott told reporters that Foggy Bottom is awaiting the results of Israeli investigations.
“Some of these reports are based on Hamas propaganda,” he told reporters. “Hamas bears sole responsibility for this conflict. The fact that we’re seeing Hamas act in certain ways, and really in barbaric ways, that they’ve continually done that.”
After videos emerged this week of Hamas looting more aid trucks, the Israeli government suspended aid entry into Gaza on Wednesday and Thursday, tasking the Israeli military with preventing the looting. The foundation was the only aid organization allowed to operate in Gaza during that span.
Pigott was asked if Washington is pushing Israel to allow more aid organizations into Gaza. “What we’re pushing for is for other countries to join us in supporting the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s work,” he said.
JNS asked if the U.S. government intends to assume a managerial or security role in light of its $30 million contribution to the foundation.
“We may have more details in the days ahead, but ultimately this is about those 46 million meals and trying to get more aid into Gaza,” Pigott told JNS.
“From day one, we said we are open to creative solutions that securely provide aid to those in Gaza and protect Israel,” he said. “This support is simply the latest iteration of President Trump’s and Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of peace in the region.”
