On Thursday, Palestinians at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) cheerfully expressed their support for the U.S. and President Donald Trump. “America, very good!” one man shouted, while others chanted “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
This marked the first day the GHF Aid Site reopened after it was closed for a day on Wednesday for enhanced security measures. The site is guarded by Israeli Defense Forces who oversee the paths that Palestinians use to access it.
Previously, on Sunday, Hamas had fired on Palestinians attempting to reach the GHF site, alleging falsely that Israel had caused widespread deaths—an assertion that was reported by some outlets and later retracted. On Tuesday, IDF soldiers were pulled back about half a kilometer from the aid site, where they fired at a group of Palestinians who strayed from the designated path, prompting further misleading reports about Israeli aggression.
Although there were no incidents on the aid site, GHF opted to suspend operations on Wednesday to bolster security.
In a statement released on Thursday, GHF noted that they had distributed over 1.4 million meals that day across two locations, bringing the total meals distributed to around 8,480,902, through about 132,480 boxes.
Interim GHF director John Ackley commented:
In the last 24 hours, we have been dedicated to strengthening our distribution points to ensure safe and efficient life-saving aid to the people of Gaza. We are committed to ongoing improvements, including site maintenance and repairs. As we stated, our priority is to ensure civilian safety in a highly complex humanitarian setting.
GHF is proud of delivering around 8.5 million meals, but we recognize this is just the beginning. Our aim is to expand throughout the area. Protecting the dignity and safety of those receiving assistance remains our top priority as we serve as the sole reliable humanitarian provider for the people of Gaza.
Both the UN and Hamas have expressed opposition to GHF’s initiatives, viewing them as a threat to their influence in Gaza.
Reports indicate that many Palestinians were taken aback by the free assistance from GHF.
The U.S. dismissed a resolution from the UN Security Council on Wednesday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, citing the lack of condemnation of Hamas and not supporting GHF’s efforts.
