The State Department said on Thursday that it had approved $30 million in funding for a fledgling aid distribution system in Gaza backed by Israel and run mostly by American contractors, which has seen deadly violence erupt near its sites.
Thomas Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said at a news briefing that the new group running the food distribution centers, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, was “absolutely incredible and should be commended and supported.” He called on other countries to follow suit and contribute funding to the group, which has been criticized by the United Nations and many humanitarian organizations.
While the United States has been supportive of the foundation’s efforts and has backed the distribution system diplomatically, this appears to be its first public announcement of financial aid for the group. Mr. Pigott declined to say whether the U.S. funding had already been distributed.
Humanitarian groups have been raising alarms since before the project’s operations began late last month. There are only a few distribution sites, most in southern Gaza, and Israeli soldiers are stationed nearby. Aid groups say that situation displaces residents, exposes them to danger and militarizes humanitarian assistance.
Deadly violence has erupted frequently near the sites as large numbers of people have approached them seeking food. The Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that hundreds had been killed near the distribution points in the past month.
Witnesses have repeatedly reported that Israeli troops opened fire near the new aid hubs. The Israeli military has said that it fired “warning shots” when people approached soldiers threateningly.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has pushed back on reports of violence near its sites, saying that news outlets have sometimes misreported where shootings took place. It has also accused Hamas of spreading misinformation and threatening aid workers.
There are roughly two million people in Gaza. Israel, which has frequently hindered the flow of aid to the enclave since the start of the war in October 2023, cut it off completely for about 80 days from March to May to put pressure on Hamas, which it accuses of looting donated food. Palestinians in Gaza were left with little to eat and are still facing widespread hunger, according to humanitarian groups.
The United Nations has denied Israel’s claims that Hamas systematically steals humanitarian goods that flow through its established distribution system in Gaza, though it has acknowledged problems with looting. On Wednesday, Israeli political leaders repeated the accusation that Hamas was stealing aid from civilians and ordered the military to come up with a plan to prevent that within 48 hours.
“We’re seeing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in line with President Trump’s call to deliver aid in a way where it can’t be looted by Hamas,” Mr. Pigott said at the Thursday briefing. “We’re seeing those creative solutions.”
Mr. Pigott declined to respond to questions about whether the United States would press Israel to let more aid into the enclave and whether the new foundation would expand its operations to reach more people.
Asked about the violence that has broken out near the foundation’s sites, Mr. Pigott referred reporters to the Israeli military, which has said it is investigating some of the incidents. He blamed “Hamas propaganda” for “some of these reports.”
John Acree, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s interim executive director, said in a statement that the U.S. funding pledge shows that “Americans deeply care about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and want to see real action.” He said that “now is the time for unity and collaboration,” calling on other organizations to join the group’s effort.
Human rights organizations say the foundation’s approach flies in the face of established methods of aid distribution meant to protect people in need. Its “militarized model, coupled with its close collaboration with Israeli authorities, undermines the core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence,” 15 rights groups from various countries said in a statement released on Tuesday.
There is also skepticism that the fledgling aid endeavor can come anywhere near meeting the needs of Gaza’s population, though the foundation has said that it plans to open more distribution sites. Other aid groups, which had seen their operations hindered by Israel’s block on aid, have also begun operating in Gaza again.
World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by the celebrity chef José Andrés, on Saturday began cooking and distributing meals in the enclave again, after suspending operations in early May because of Israel’s blockade. On Wednesday, the Israeli authority that coordinates humanitarian activity in Gaza said 150 trucks carrying food, infant formula, medical supplies and medicine had entered northern Gaza over the two previous days.
But the U.N. humanitarian agency said on Thursday that the needs of people in Gaza were very far from being met.
“Families in Gaza are risking their lives to access food, with nearly daily mass casualties reported as people attempt to reach supplies,” the agency said in a report. “Most families survive on just one nutritiously poor meal per day, while adults routinely skip meals to prioritize children, the elderly and the ill amid deepening hunger and desperation.”
Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.
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