US-backed group begins controversial aid deliveries in Gaza amid ongoing Israeli strikes

A new US- and Israeli-backed aid mechanism began distributing food to Palestinians in Gaza on May 26, as Israel’s continuing offensive killed at least 52 people and intensified scrutiny over humanitarian access in the war-torn enclave.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a recently established organisation comprised of former military, government, and humanitarian officials, said its first distribution hubs had opened and that food deliveries were underway, Caliber.Az reports citing Arabic international newspaper.

The announcement comes as Gaza endures a growing humanitarian crisis following nearly three months of a near-total Israeli blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas.

The initiative is unfolding without United Nations support and has drawn sharp criticism from major aid organisations, which argue that the alternative delivery system lacks transparency, risks politicising humanitarian aid, and is unlikely to meet the territory’s urgent needs.

“More trucks with aid will be delivered tomorrow, with the flow of aid increasing each day,” the foundation said in a statement. It did not disclose the number of trucks dispatched, the locations of the distribution hubs, or the criteria used to select recipients.

The UN and other humanitarian actors have accused Israel of weaponising food and say the new system circumvents long-established delivery channels, potentially deepening the crisis rather than alleviating it. Israel has defended the effort, insisting it is designed to prevent Hamas from diverting aid — a claim the UN disputes.

The new aid framework was launched just a day after the foundation’s executive director, American Jake Wood, resigned, citing concerns that the group would not be permitted to operate independently. The foundation named interim leader John Acree as his replacement but has not disclosed its funding sources.

The group claims it aims to reach one million people—roughly half of Gaza’s population-by the end of the week, with private security firms guarding the distribution points.

Under growing international pressure, Israel allowed limited humanitarian aid into Gaza last week after imposing a total ban on the entry of food, fuel, and medical supplies in early March. Aid agencies continue to warn of imminent famine, saying the current trickle of aid is insufficient to address skyrocketing needs.

Hamas on May 26 urged Palestinians to reject the new aid system, describing it as part of an Israeli scheme to displace the population. Israel has said it intends to facilitate the "voluntary migration" of Gazans — a plan widely condemned by Palestinians and the broader international community.

The war has devastated Gaza, displacing roughly 90% of the population, with many forced to flee multiple times. On May 26, an Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City killed at least 36 people, including a father and his five children, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli military said it had targeted a command and control centre used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, blaming civilian casualties on militant groups operating from densely populated areas.

A separate strike on a home in Jabalya killed 16 members of the same family, hospital officials said.

Meanwhile, in Israel, tensions flared as ultranationalist demonstrators marked the anniversary of the country’s 1967 capture of East Jerusalem with a procession through the city. Some participants chanted anti-Arab slogans and confronted Palestinian residents, while police maintained a heavy presence.

Earlier in the day, a group of right-wing protesters, including an Israeli lawmaker, stormed a compound belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The facility, which has been largely empty since January, remains protected under international law, the UN said.

The conflict, now nearing its 600th day, erupted after Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 during the October 7, 2023, attack. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed an estimated 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, who say more than half the casualties are women and children.

By Aghakazim Guliyev