By Pesach Benson
JERUSALEM — Chaos erupted May 27 at a US-run humanitarian aid center in Gaza — Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood — where crowds of Gaza residents broke into the compound and took remaining aid supplies. According to eyewitnesses and media reports, the American team on site — some of them armed — fired into the air as the situation spiraled out of control.
(IDF Spokesperson)
The Gaza Relief Fund, the US-backed organization managing the distribution, said the incident followed long delays caused by “barriers set up by Hamas,” which prevented residents from accessing the site earlier in the day.
The organization reported that the crowd grew so large that its team had to “step back” and later withdrew entirely “in a proactive manner” to avoid casualties.
“We allowed a small group of residents to receive the aid safely and disperse,” the Fund stated.
Despite conflicting claims, witnesses and sources within the aid organization confirmed that after the withdrawal, Gazans looted the remaining packages.
Roughly 8,000 aid packages were successfully distributed before the breach.
The incident prompted the launch of helicopters and raised concerns about the safety and sustainability of aid distribution efforts in Gaza. The American team reopened the site, May 28.
The initiative is run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly formed American entity operating in close coordination with Israeli authorities.
On Tuesday, two centers began operating in Tel al-Sultan and the Morag corridor near Rafah. Each site is expected to serve around 300,000 people.
According to GHF, by the end of the week, aid is expected to reach at least one million Palestinians — nearly half the population of Gaza. An image posted to X showed that the food boxes contain staples such as rice, flour, beans, oil, salt and canned vegetables.
GHF began operations in Gaza on Monday, May 25, sending truckloads of supplies to several secure distribution compounds. A spokesperson said more shipments were en route and promised that the volume of aid would increase daily, though the foundation did not specify exact quantities. Photographs shared by the group showed Gazans collecting the boxes at the sites.
According to the American security company overseeing logistics, the first distribution began at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The company claimed that Hamas tried to block access by setting up a checkpoint, but crowds eventually breached it. By 2:40 p.m., 400 heads of households had collected food packages meant to feed approximately 2,500 people, and thousands more were reportedly gathering outside the facility.
GHF said the looting was limited and that distribution resumed.
“We continue to see false reporting about deaths, mass injuries, and chaos at the Secure Distribution Sites,” the GHF said Wednesdat in a statement. “To reiterate, there have been no deaths at any GHF location. To-date two Gazans have required medical care that was delivered on-site, one relating to dehydration and another who was injured by others seeking aid. Reports to the contrary originated from Hamas and are inaccurate.”
The aid program was conceived by Israel in response to what it sees as repeated failures by the UN and other international bodies to prevent Hamas from intercepting humanitarian supplies. In this new model, only pre-selected family representatives are allowed to access the centers, where they pick up heavy boxes of food in controlled, American-secured zones. The approach marks a shift from the bulk distribution methods previously used, which Israeli officials argue have made it easier for Hamas to seize aid.
“This is a new model,” GHF said. “It’s designed to prevent diversion of aid and build trust directly with the people.”
The distribution system was intentionally minimalist. Recipients did not need to register or pass inspections, an approach GHF said was meant to foster trust despite the potential for abuse, such as individuals collecting aid multiple times. Boxes were laid out on long tables, echoing familiar holiday food drives in the hopes of avoiding scenes of chaos. Each compound is surrounded by high earthen berms and monitored from the air by the Israel Defense Forces, though no Israeli soldiers are present on the ground. The IDF was relying on aerial surveillance and intelligence to ensure the distribution centers’ security. It confirmed that four aid distribution sites have been established across Gaza in recent weeks, operated by international organizations and secured by American civilian contractors.
The system is intentionally minimalist. Recipients do not need to register or pass inspections, an approach GHF says is meant to foster trust despite the potential for abuse, such as individuals collecting aid multiple times. Boxes are laid out on long tables, echoing familiar holiday food drives in the hopes of avoiding scenes of chaos. Each compound is surrounded by high earthen berms and monitored from the air by the IDF, though no Israeli soldiers are present on the ground. The IDF is relying on aerial surveillance and intelligence to ensure the distribution centers’ security.
The distribution centers will operate continuously, and dozens of aid trucks are expected to arrive daily. While the effort remains controversial, particularly due to its bypassing of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees, its backers hope it will offer a more secure and transparent means of delivering humanitarian assistance.
Since mid-November, Hamas and criminal gangs associated with the terror group have hijacked around 85% of all the trucks entering the Strip carrying food, water, medicine and other humanitarian items. People in Gaza have claimed in interviews with TPS that Hamas has granted distribution lines to these groups to ensure that humanitarian aid exclusively reaches Hamas. In return, these gangs receive money, food and vouchers. Hamas also pays these gangs $10,000 a month to maintain checkpoints.
