A new aid system in Gaza has started operations, a US-backed group says

A new aid system in Gaza launched its first distribution centers on Monday, according to a U.S.-backed organization that began providing food to Palestinians facing escalating hunger amid Israel’s nearly three-month blockade intended to pressure Hamas.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, now managing aid efforts despite objections from the United Nations, announced that food deliveries had started. The announcement came on a day marked by Israeli airstrikes that reportedly killed at least 52 people.

The foundation reported that several truckloads of food had reached its hubs, though it did not specify the number of trucks, the location of the distribution points, or how aid recipients were selected.

“Additional aid deliveries are planned for tomorrow, with the volume of aid increasing daily,” the foundation stated.

The U.N. and humanitarian organizations have criticized the new system—supported by both Israel and the U.S.—arguing it could be used as a tool of political leverage and will be ineffective. Israel, on the other hand, contends that the system is needed to prevent Hamas from diverting aid, a claim the U.N. disputes.

The foundation’s funding remains unclear. Its launch follows the resignation of Executive Director Jake Wood, an American who said the organization would not be able to operate independently. John Acree has been named interim director. The group is comprised of former officials from humanitarian, governmental, and military backgrounds and says private security firms will guard distribution centers. It aims to reach one million Palestinians—roughly half of Gaza’s population—by week’s end.

Following pressure from international allies, Israel recently allowed limited humanitarian aid into Gaza for the first time since early March, when it began blocking all food, medicine, fuel, and other essentials. Aid organizations warn that the current supply is far from sufficient to meet urgent needs, with famine looming.

Hamas has urged Palestinians to avoid the new aid system, accusing Israel of using it to facilitate the forced relocation of Gaza’s population. Israel has stated that it supports the “voluntary migration” of Gaza’s 2 million residents, a plan widely rejected by Palestinians and the international community.

Israel’s military campaign has devastated large swaths of Gaza and displaced roughly 90% of its population, with many residents forced to flee multiple times.

Airstrike Hits Shelter

One Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood killed at least 36 people and injured dozens more, according to local health officials. The Israeli military said it targeted militants operating from within the school.

The offensive resumed in March after the collapse of a ceasefire with Hamas. Israel has vowed to continue until Hamas is dismantled and the remaining 58 hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack are recovered. A third of those hostages are believed to be alive.

The 2023 Hamas-led assault killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in 251 hostages. In response, Israel’s military campaign has reportedly killed around 54,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

In the Daraj school strike, a father and his five children were among the dead, said emergency services head Fahmy Awad. The school was reportedly hit three times while residents were asleep, setting their belongings on fire. Videos circulating online show rescuers extinguishing flames and recovering burned bodies.

The military said it struck a command center used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad for intelligence gathering and planning attacks, blaming civilian casualties on the militant groups’ presence in residential areas.

Another airstrike in Jabalya, northern Gaza, killed 16 members of a single family, including five women and two children, according to Shifa Hospital.

Palestinian militants fired three projectiles into Israel from Gaza on Monday; two fell within Gaza, and the third was intercepted, according to the Israeli military.

Ultranationalist March and UN Compound Incident in Jerusalem

In Jerusalem, ultranationalist Israelis held an annual march Monday commemorating Israel’s 1967 capture of East Jerusalem. Some demonstrators chanted racist slogans such as “Death to Arabs” and harassed Palestinian residents. Police maintained a heavy presence as marchers danced and sang, stoking fears of further unrest in the already tense city amid the ongoing Gaza war.

Earlier in the day, a small group of Israeli protesters, including a parliament member, stormed a United Nations compound in East Jerusalem belonging to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which Israel has banned. The facility has been largely vacant since January due to security concerns. The U.N. maintains the compound is protected under international law.