The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-Israeli logistics group, claimed on Thursday that five of its Palestinian staff were killed and others taken hostage in an attack by Hamas on a bus near a food distribution point. The incident occurred at 10pm local time on Wednesday, though the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have warned Palestinians not to approach distribution points before 6am.
GHF Chair Johnnie Moore, an evangelical preacher and Trump adviser, condemned the attack, stating: “These dear people were murdered by Hamas because they just wanted to feed their people. They were not militants. They were humanitarians.” Hamas has not commented on the GHF claims but said it had killed 12 members of the Israeli-backed Abu Shabab group after detaining them overnight.
Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, nearly two-thirds of them while seeking food from GHF distribution points, according to local health authorities. On Thursday morning, the Palestinian civil defence agency reported 22 more deaths across Gaza, with 16 of those waiting to collect food.
The distribution of food and basic supplies in Gaza has become increasingly perilous, exacerbating the territory’s deep hunger crisis. A civil defence official, Mohammed al-Mughayyir, told AFP that al-Awda hospital received 10 dead and about 200 wounded after Israeli drones bombed gatherings near an aid distribution point at the Netzarim checkpoint.
In parallel, Israel has begun allowing limited UN food aid into Gaza for the first time in three months. The IDF said 56 humanitarian aid trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP) crossed into Gaza on Wednesday through the Zikim crossing. The WFP confirmed it has been able to bring small amounts of food but faces delays and denials due to expanded military operations.
The UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, remains banned by Israel from carrying out distribution, despite having the largest aid network in Gaza. Israel alleges Unrwa complicity with Hamas, a claim the agency denies after firing nine employees in August 2024 on suspicion of involvement in the Hamas attack.
