New Gaza aid distribution backed by Israel, U.S. met with chaos, gunfire in its 1st week

Yasmine Hassan · CBC News

· Posted: May 31, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

In the confederate extremity of Gaza, on a dusty roadworthy that is mostly desolate — but for an Israeli subject beingness — thousands of Palestinians gathered connected Friday for the latest assistance organisation from the arguable Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). 

The lines were long, the roadworthy was dangerous and the anticipation of leaving bare handed was high. But radical were, and remain, desperate. And after weeks of assistance not getting into Gaza, they'll spell to immoderate lengths to unafraid immoderate food. 

"I'm coming to look decease truthful I tin provender my children," Imran Wafi told CBC News, from the broadside of a roadworthy starring to a organisation point.

"We cognize it's unsafe but the large catastrophe is there's nary nutrient for america to eat."  

GHF claims it has delivered implicit 2 cardinal meals successful Gaza successful its archetypal week of operations successful the enclave.

The inaugural — backed by the U.S. and Israel — uses private, equipped contractors to present assistance astatine a constricted fig of organisation points acceptable up by Israel. It was established successful February arsenic a mode for Israel to bypass the UN-run assistance organisation system. The initiative is registered successful Delaware and Switzerland, and tally by a radical of officials and executives from the satellite of defence, quality and business, the Washington Post reported.

The caller assistance initiative has already drawn condemnation for not bringing successful capable supplies to marque up for the 2 months successful which Israel blocked each assistance from entering Gaza and for not reaching parts of Gaza that desperately request it. Its critics see not conscionable the UN, different assistance agencies and immoderate of Israel's Western allies, but its ain officials.

The enforcement manager of the GHF, Jake Wood, resigned earlier this week, saying the group wasn't capable to follow "the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I volition not abandon."

In a connection to CBC News, GHF said its distributions occurred "without incident" and it plans to grow its beingness successful the enclave, "including successful the bluish region" successful the weeks to come. It presently runs 2 sites, 1 successful Rafah and 1 successful cardinal Gaza successful the Natsarim corridor.

WATCH | GHF delivers assistance successful Gaza:

But eyewitness reports from the crushed say many of those distributions person been chaotic, and that astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed astatine a GHF hub — a assertion which the enactment denies. 

Video footage from passim the week shows droves of radical breaking done fences and moving successful each absorption amid gunshots. Gaza resident Ahmed Al-Qadi says his friend, Mohamed Abdelhadi, was killed getting assistance from GHF at Natsarim connected Wednesday. 

"He went to get assistance and connected his mode home... he turned his backmost and helium got hit," helium said. "This assistance is with blood, it's dipped successful blood." 

GHF denies anyone was killed during  its operations this week. "No civilians oregon individuals progressive with the organisation of assistance were injured, nary lives were lost," it said successful a connection to CBC News.

And yet, assistance distributions by the group, which started connected Monday, have not been without hiccups, many ending with informing shots oregon chaotic breaks by Palestinians done fences acceptable up to power the lineups.

GHF has besides faced disapproval from organizations including the United Nations, which opposes its operations successful Gaza. The previous leading assistance radical successful Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), was banned from the territory past twelvemonth by Israel implicit its staffers' alleged engagement successful the Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught by Hamas which sparked the existent warfare successful Gaza. Despite that, UNRWA continued operating and the prohibition was met with interest from planetary leaders. 

The UN said Friday that GHF is an "attempt to circumvent the UN and its agencies connected the ground" which person been contiguous successful Gaza for a agelong clip "in accordance with planetary law."

The connection went connected to accidental that GHF "fails the trial of humanitarian principles."

CBC News caught up with radical walking backmost from the organisation constituent successful cardinal Gaza. One antheral showed the contents of a box containing flour, sugar, pasta and oil.

But not everyone was arsenic lucky. Gaza nonmigratory Muhammad Abu Gharqud said Thursday was the 2nd clip helium came to a organisation constituent and near bare handed. Leaning connected a crutch due to the fact that of his amputated leg, the 45-year-old looked exhausted. 

"I can't find nutrient for my kids," helium said. "I can't find anything." 

Desperation mounted for Palestinians successful the Gaza Strip arsenic looting became much predominant this week. Some assistance trucks were allowed successful but were met with mobs of civilians looking for immoderate nutrient they tin get their hands connected and peculiarly flour. 

Muhammad Shamlakh was astatine the country erstwhile a motortruck was looted successful Gaza City connected Thursday. He said radical were "eating each different alive." 

"The radical are dying of hunger," helium said. "There's nary flour, everything was stolen." 

WATCH | Palestinians loot assistance truck: