GHF - The Humanitarian Mercenaries in Gaza?

The newest solution to food distribution in Gaza has been operating since May, but has been criticized widely.

By Jake

6 September 2025

In February of 2025, a nonprofit named the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation quietly filed its paperwork in Delaware while the world raged over food and medicine aid into the shattered Palestinian conclave. Within three months, this organization was running aid operations into Gaza with Israeli approval, a feat no other nonprofit without United Nations sponsorship could possibly have accomplished. The organization wasn’t grassroots, but rather the culmination of plans between Israeli and American diplomats in conjunction with American corporate firms like Boston Consulting Group. 

Many people agreed that innocent Gazans were starving and needed aid, but suspiciously few people claimed responsibility for running GHF in its early days. Its first executive director, Jake Woods, who had run the international disaster relief program Team Rubicon, resigned his position on May 25, 2025, stating that it was impossible to meet the foundation's objectives while "strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, which I will not abandon." Nate Cook of World Central Kitchen distanced himself after being named as a board member on filing documents. In June 2025, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) ended its contract with GHF. BCG was responsible for determining contractor compensation and operational costs at aid centers. While BCG publicly claimed the work was conducted "pro bono," multiple sources, including The Washington Post, revealed that the firm had been paid more than $1 million monthly. Following an internal review, BCG dismissed two senior partners who had overseen the GHF project, describing their actions as "unauthorized".

In contrast, the new head of GHF has repeatedly praised President Donald Trump's proposal to take over the Gaza Strip, stating "The USA will take full responsibility for [the] future of Gaza, giving everyone hope and a future."

GHF’s practices have also been widely criticized. GHF programs largely offer boxed dry food and lack essentials like water, medical supplies, and specialized nutrition for children and vulnerable populations. Recipients and local observers have reported that these boxes lack crucial nutrients, and scenes around distribution centers are frequently described as tumultuous, with long waits, overcrowding, and violent clashes. Serious security incidents and violence around GHF sites have been reported on numerous occasions, including credible allegations that civilians seeking food were shot at or killed by Israeli forces or American security contractors paid by GHF. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reports that of the 1,760 Palestinians killed since 27 May while seeking food, 994 were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites.

Obviously, the UN has incentive to criticize any nonprofit that threatens their monopoly and organized aid is better than nothing. But famine and constant displacement is still a pressing concern in Gaza, so we should demand better practices and more transparency about the efforts that leaders lie is the best they can do. History will judge the 21st century as we let Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, and other peoples suffer and die in the hope of preserving the status quo, or worse, building a resort once the conflict is over. ONE aims to make a difference and stick to our principles of shared heritage and respect for human life in all circumstances.

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