US-backed aid company in Gaza shutters operations
Stars and Stripes15 hrs
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Closes Operations
Was this a successful aid model that fed millions safely, or a militarized scheme that weaponized humanitarian assistance?
Above: Palestinians wait in line to fill water bottles distributed by charitable organizations in Deir Al Balah, Gaza, on Nov. 9, 2025. Image credit: Hassan Jedi/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was a dangerous, militarized aid scheme that got hundreds of Palestinians killed while they desperately sought food. This controversial operation used armed contractors and created chaotic, humiliating conditions that forced starving civilians to risk their lives just to get basic supplies. The U.N. and other international agencies should be left in charge of aid distribution in Gaza.
Pro-Israel narrative
The GHF completed its mission by distributing 187 million meals to desperate Palestinians, even as other aid groups failed to operate effectively. The GHF proved a new model could work by delivering aid directly to civilians without Hamas diversion, maintaining secure distribution sites free from violence. The organization is now handing off its proven approach to international forces, demonstrating that private humanitarian efforts can succeed where traditional U.N. operations struggled.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Though it is good news that the GHF will no longer operate in Gaza, Israeli and U.S. plans for the strip's future are just as morbid and sinister. Israeli forces committed systematic massacres against Palestinian aid seekers, in one instance firing tank shells at a group of starving Palestinians, which killed over 50 people. Indeed, the GHF only served to advance Israel's genocidal goals in Gaza.