$30 Million For Aid, But At What Cost?

The United States on Thursday, June 26, 2025, approved a direct funding package of $30 million for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a move that has sparked sharp criticism due to the organization’s controversial operations in Gaza.

The GHF, backed by both the US and Israel, has come under intense scrutiny following a string of deadly incidents near its food distribution hubs.

Despite global outcry, the US government is urging other nations to support the organization.

“We call on other countries to also support the GHF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and its critical work,” said State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott during a press briefing on Thursday.

Established in May, the GHF emerged amid intensifying pressure on Israel to loosen its tight blockade on Gaza, a blockade that has brought much of the population to the brink of starvation.

The group was supposedly created to help address the humanitarian crisis.

On the other hand, its operations have been condemned by international aid organizations and the United Nations, which have refused to cooperate with it.

Critics argue that the GHF violates fundamental humanitarian principles.

Its coordination with Israeli forces and use of private, armed American security contractors has raised red flags among global watchdogs.

Footage circulating on social media and news outlets shows desperate Palestinians being fired upon while attempting to collect aid.

According to the Gaza Government Media Office, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food near GHF distribution sites.

The group, however, denies responsibility, stating that these deaths did not occur within the immediate vicinity of its aid points.

Still, GHF’s interim executive director, John Acree, welcomed the new American funding, describing it as a step toward solidarity.

“We look forward to other aid and humanitarian organizations joining us so we can feed even more Gazans, together,” Acree said.

“It’s time for unity and collaboration.”

Asked about the growing criticism, Pigott pointed to the scale of GHF’s efforts, noting that the group has already distributed 46 million meals.

“That is absolutely incredible,” he said.

“It should be applauded.”

He added that the funding is part of President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s broader push for peace in the region.

Yet, on the ground, desperation and violence have become tragically commonplace.

Atar Riyad, a father of eight from Beit Hanoon, now displaced in Gaza City, shared his harrowing experience with Al Jazeera.

Riyad recounted multiple attempts to reach distribution centers near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, only to be met with chaos and horror.

“We went to only find death in front of us.

“There was nothing but death,” Riyad said.

He described scenes of trucks running over aid seekers and young men shot dead around him.

“All died as they tried to get food to feed their families,” he added, noting that his best friend and neighbors were among the victims.

Kate Mackintosh, executive director of the UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe, warned that those affiliated with the GHF could face criminal charges.

“It’s very unclear why these people are being targeted and killed, but I think it’s pretty clear that these are unarmed civilians who are desperately trying to get food for their families,” she said.

“Firing upon people in that situation prima facie is a war crime.”

She emphasized the legal implications for aid workers who continue to operate in such conditions.

“If they’re aware that this is going to happen, or even in some jurisdictions they’re aware of the substantial risk of this happening, which it seems they must be … they could be held criminally liable for participating in those crimes,” she warned.

In a fresh escalation on Thursday, an Israeli air strike killed 18 people in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.

Witnesses said the victims had gathered to receive flour from Palestinian police who had seized the goods from gangs looting aid convoys.

The strike targeted members of Sahm, a security unit under Gaza’s Hamas-led Interior Ministry, charged with protecting aid deliveries and stopping price-gouging.

Israel maintains that such units are part of Hamas and has repeatedly bombed Gaza’s police infrastructure.

Meanwhile, efforts by the UN to distribute food aid continue to be plagued by armed looters and mobs of starving civilians.

As support for GHF grows among its backers, so too do the concerns of those who see its operations as endangering, rather than saving, Palestinian lives.

The question now is whether more funding will bring relief—or deepen the crisis further.

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