GHF shuts its doors in Gaza

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial U.S.- and Israel-backed aid organization, announced today that it will cease operations after distributing over 187,000 meals and humanitarian aid packages to Gaza residents over approximately five months.

Established in February 2025 and operational from May 2025, GHF aimed to provide food, hygiene kits, and medical supplies in southern Gaza, bypassing UN agencies amid claims of preventing aid diversion by Hamas. It was funded partly by the U.S. (up to $500 million considered from USAID) and secured by private contractors, with sites monitored by the IDF.

Although operations faced severe criticism, many Gazans were grateful for the food packages delivered under extremely trying circumstances and at great risk to the providers.

Hamas, as it likes to do, was responsible for causing Gazan deaths by stabbing people during the food deliveries, and causing chaos, shooting and trampling of Gazan citizens, and then blaming the GHF for their deaths.

The initial executive director resigned in May over issues like shootings, contaminated aid allegations (denied by GHF), and involvement of controversial security groups.

Swiss authorities shut down a related Geneva office in July for noncompliance.

GHF suspended activities in October 2025 following a Gaza ceasefire, with sites dismantled as UN-led aid resumed.

Funding was set to expire by November 2025, leading to today's final closure announcement amid low funds and logistical challenges.

Despite earlier denials of demise, this marks the end of the short-lived but highly divisive program.

Now that winter is nearly here, with Hamas still largely in control of Gaza past the yellow line, it's unclear if anyone will take over this food program, but reports of food scarcity in Gaza are at an all time low, and aid is flowing through uninterrupted.