KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) - Shehada Hijazi awoke at dawn, seizing a fleeting opportunity to obtain essential food supplies from a new distribution site managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organization backed by the U.S. and Israel. Thousands of desperate locals shared Hijazi's aspiration to secure food for their hungry families amid the ongoing crisis.
Walking 7 kilometers (4 miles) to the distribution center in a militarized zone that had been cleared of residents, Hijazi encountered chaos. The scene outside the heavily secured site was frenetic, with people pushing and shoving for hours in anxious anticipation. Upon the center's opening, the crowd surged forward, eager to grab from the hundreds of food boxes stacked on wooden pallets.
Hijazi recounted his harrowing experience at the GHF center, where he witnessed 15 minutes of utter panic. Reports surfaced of Israeli soldiers firing shots to control the crowd, injuring Hijazi's 23-year-old cousin in the foot. Amid intense gunfire and flying sand, Hijazi and others abandoned all hope of receiving food and fled for safety.
The military did not provide immediate comments on the incident at the center Hijazi attended but acknowledged that firing had occurred near another center in central Gaza that same day. By Friday, the 41-year-old Hijazi vowed to return despite his acute desperation to feed his extended family of nearly 200 individuals living in a displacement camp in Khan Younis. "Hunger has hit home. I can’t wait around to watch my family die of hunger," he lamented.
This scenario is not unique to Hijazi; it reflects the grim reality confronting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians facing escalating hunger and malnutrition. After nearly three months of an Israeli blockade preventing food and supplies from entering Gaza, the situation has grown dire. Israel allowed a limited influx of aid this month, with nearly 1,000 trucks reported to have entered over the past 12 days, a stark contrast to the pre-blockade levels when several hundred trucks were delivering supplies daily.
Despite Israel's plans for GHF to take over all food distribution, the foundation's initial operations have faced significant turmoil. Multiple witnesses described Israeli troops again using gunfire to manage crowds at the GHF distribution centers, resulting in at least six fatalities and over 50 injuries, according to Dr. Ahmmed al-Farrah from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The overwhelming crowd size, with tens of thousands of hungry individuals, has led to chaos at distribution facilities, often resulting in food running out quickly as desperate individuals break through barriers to claim boxes.
Videos released by the Associated Press captured chaotic scenes at a central Gaza center, illustrating the use of smoke bombs and artillery fire amidst apparent threats to Israeli troops. The military asserted that its fire was not aimed at the GHF center or civilians, although it did acknowledge firing warning shots to disperse crowds on prior occasions.
GHF issued a statement denying that any civilians had been harmed during its distribution operations and claimed there had been no shootings at its sites. The Israeli government insisted on the new distribution system, citing a need to prevent Hamas from diverting aid, even without substantive evidence of such practices. U.N. agencies contend that their existing mechanisms adequately prevent significant diversion of aid.
Eyewitnesses noted the absence of ID checks at the GHF centers, describing a chaotic environment where stronger individuals pushed ahead, seizing multiple food boxes often intended for those most in need. Hijazi alleged that organized groups were hoarding food to sell at exorbitant prices in local markets. “This farce and humiliation are by design,” he said, expressing frustration at the situation.
A GHF staff member, speaking anonymously for security reasons, remarked on the evolving nature of the system. With people's desperation and urgent food needs at the forefront, the immediate aim was to distribute as much aid as possible, with additional oversight to be added once the situation stabilized. GHF boasted that it had distributed food boxes capable of producing over 2 million meals in a single week, containing staples like sugar, lentils, pasta, and rice.
However, the U.N. and other humanitarian organizations have refused participation in the GHF distribution system, calling it a violation of humanitarian principles. Critics argue it places aid distribution under Israeli control and undermines the breadth of aid necessary to help the population while also putting recipients in harm's way. Instances of disorder have occurred around community kitchens, but occurrences of violence and chaos akin to those seen at GHF centers have been rare at U.N. sites, which typically employ systematic coupon methods to maintain order during food distribution.
The difficulties of managing humanitarian aid efficiently have been evident. “People don’t understand why it is difficult to give out food in crises,” said Ruth James, humanitarian coordinator for Oxfam. Proper management and communication are essential to prevent stampedes and ensure that those most in need receive the aid. Despite his overwhelming frustration, Hijazi plans to attempt retrieving food again on Sunday, remarking on the dire situation: “People are ready to eat each other to provide for their families. It is an unimaginable tragedy.”
