The first of the American-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s eight planned aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip was opened on Monday morning, according to Hebrew media.
Three more centers will open gradually over the course of the week, and there is a plan to build four more centers in the future, according to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster.
Three of the first four are situated at the Morag Corridor in the southern Strip, with the remaining one being located just south of the Netzarim Corridor, which runs south of Gaza City.
Each distribution center is located within a secured compound, isolated by earthen berms, a logistic route for the entry of trucks, and an area to unload supplies, the report continued.
American contractor personnel will distribute food packages directly to Palestinian civilians, taking into account massive queues—with the Israel Defense Forces guarding the compound from afar, according to Kan.
The Israeli military said that each package contains sufficient food for five persons for five days, and that each distribution center will provide food for approximately 300,000 Gazans.
The launch of the distribution efforts comes on the back of a statement from the GHF board just before midnight late on Sunday night that it is “disappointed” by the “sudden” resignation of Jake Wood, the group’s executive director.
“He has been a passionate advocate for the need to safely deliver humanitarian assistance to Gazans without diversion or delay, and achieved real progress for the entire humanitarian community in the short time he was involved in this effort,” the board stated. “The fact that aid is beginning to trickle back into Gaza is a testament to his work.”
The foundation is part of a plan to circumvent the United Nations and to deliver aid to Gazans without supplies falling into the hands of Hamas.
On Sunday, 107 aid trucks carrying flour for bakeries and food were transferred into the Strip via the Kerem Shalom Crossing, said the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), run by the Ministry of Defense.
“We will continue to facilitate humanitarian aid while making every effort to ensure that the aid does not reach the hands of Hamas,” COGAT stated.
After close to three months of a strict blockade—ever since the ceasefire with Hamas collapsed in the beginning of March—supply trucks began to enter the Palestinian enclave last week to avert a humanitarian crisis.
However, Jerusalem said it was focused on ensuring the aid does not reach the Hamas terrorist organization, while acknowledging the difficulty in achieving this task.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement on May 20 that read, “[Israel] will act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in order to ensure that the assistance does not reach the Hamas terrorists.”
It further explained that the resumption of aid is intended to prevent a starvation crisis that could threaten the continuation of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” to defeat Hamas.
According to the IDF, since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has facilitated the entry of over 1.7 million tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“Our war is against Hamas, not the people of Gaza,” the military tweeted on Sunday.