More than 150 groups call for U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza aid distribution to be shut down
Calling the humanitarian aid distribution centers “death traps,” the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement Tuesday that 583 people had died since GHF first began operating in Gaza in late May following a three-month Israeli blockade on aid distribution.
Since then, there have been almost daily claims of the Israeli military deliberately firing at aid recipients, accusations that the IDF has denied. The United Nations condemned the GHF aid system, with the Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday calling it “inherently unsafe.”
Israel, which has defended GHF by saying it provides direct assistance to Palestinians while bypassing Hamas interference, said in a statement on Monday that it would “examine” the reports of civilians being hurt at the aid sites and add new fencing and sign posting to improve access.
The Israeli foreign ministry on Tuesday accused Hamas of firing at civilians at humanitarian sites and of falsely blaming the IDF to “disrupt aid efforts and keep the people of Gaza away from much needed aid,” according to a post on X.
The move comes as Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington early next week, a White House official confirmed to NBC News, as pressure to end the war in Gaza intensifies.
“I am expected to leave next week for meetings in the United States with President Trump,” Netanyahu said Tuesday. “These things come in the wake of the great victory we achieved in Operation ‘Rising lion,’” he added, referring to Israel’s recent military assault on Iran.
The Israeli leader added that along with Trump, he would also meet other senior U.S. officials including Vice President JD Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. “We have a few things to close before then in order to reach the trade agreement in addition to other things,” he said.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social Saturday that Netanyahu was “right now in the process of negotiating a Deal with Hamas, which will include getting the Hostages back.” On Sunday, he again urged both sides to make progress on the stalled ceasefire talks. “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” Trump wrote in a separate post.
A two-month ceasefire collapsed in March after Israel renewed its military assault on Gaza and imposed a total aid blockade for 11 weeks. Hundreds of aid distribution points across Gaza previously run by the U.N. were later reduced to four sites operated by GHF, where deadly incidents have been reported nearly daily.
The Israeli military acknowledges involvement in many of these incidents, often saying that soldiers fire warning shots or at individuals who appear to pose a threat or are in unauthorized areas. GHF says the attacks happen outside their distribution sites.
