Israel’s Cabinet approved, under intense international pressure, a major policy shift: they authorized a new humanitarian aid distribution model for Gaza that relies on private Palestinian merchants instead of UN agencies or NGOs for aid distribution. COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) authorized gradual entry of essential goods via these merchants into Gaza Strip. I24NEWS and Reuters Israeli Authorities Plan New Aid Path with Controlled Merchant Route Israel plans to significantly expand aid access by permitting private-sector actors to aide with food, hygiene products, baby supplies and medical items entering through controlled merchant routes. This marks an effort by them to decrease dependence on international organizations that they accuse of aid diversion by Hamas. For more details on this subject please see The Washington Post +7 (RTRS), as well as Reuters for news coverage of this development. COGAT, Israel’s military liaison unit tasked with overseeing humanitarian matters in Gaza, has been directed to oversee operations and ensure distribution hubs comply with security checks before goods are distributed in an orderly and phased fashion. According to Wikipedia +15 and AP News (+15), Humanitarian Crisis Prompts Policy Change Aid workers warn Gaza is facing severe famine conditions. According to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), approximately 20% of Gaza’s population – nearly half a million people- are living under such conditions, and acute malnutrition among children aged five or under has already claimed at least 147 lives, including 88 children, according to TIME/The Washington Post reports. While Israel believes UN and NGO systems risk diversion, critics claim the new merchant-based model has already led to chaos and deaths at U.S.-backed distribution sites run by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). As of July, over 1,000 Palestinians were reported as killed while seeking aid near these distribution sites – and thousands more injured as a result. Selon Wikipedia and Reuters sources. GHF and Aid Sites In 2025, Israel and the U.S. created GHF as an aid delivery mechanism, replacing over 400 UN-run aid outlets with four secure hubs monitored by both forces; each hub was guarded by private U.S. contractors contracted to monitor IDF activity as well as biometric checks that may exclude aid seekers with suspected links to Hamas or suspected affiliation. For more details see Wikipedia +2 for additional references Although GHF claims neutrality, multiple humanitarian organizations such as Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders have strongly condemned it for creating “death traps” through aid distribution that violate humanitarian norms and have refused to participate in its efforts. Wikipedia Operational and Ethical Challenges While merchant-led aid may appear to bypass security concerns, its implementation poses several serious implementation questions. Aid agencies recognize this while still emphasizing its need for numerous small scale delivery points with neutral oversight, adequate caloric intake, fuel and safe cooking facilities which cannot always be guaranteed under current plans (Wikipedia; The Washington Post). GHF food boxes reportedly only provide around 2,500 kcal over several days, lacking essential nutrients such as iron and zinc. Distribution windows often last just minutes before straining already fragile social conditions further. Yahoo +10 The Times +10 and Reuters both reported similar numbers. International Reaction and Outlook The international community, including 170 humanitarian NGOs, have strongly condemned the Global Health Fund framework as unethical and dangerous, calling on it for independent investigation of violence around aid sites. For further reading: (The Times +5) Wikipedia. Analysts caution that Israel’s merchant-based mechanism may serve more political goals than humanitarian ones; centralizing control and consolidating donor influence. At the same time, however, this initiative risks further alienating aid groups while undermining civilian trust during one of Gaza’s gravest humanitarian crises in years. As hunger conditions worsen, UN and aid organizations continue to press for neutral, UN-backed aid networks as well as full reopening of Gaza crossings to ensure relief reaches those most in need. The Washington Post/The Scottish Sun Anon. (2019). Wikipedia (in this case)
