US says Israel will not handle Gaza aid distribution but will 'provide security'

CAIRO – 9 May 2025: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on Friday that Israel will not participate in the distribution of aid in Gaza but will rather provide security, Reuters reported.

Since early in March, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid bound for Gaza and resumed military operations two weeks later, shattering a ceasefire that has led to the release of dozens of captives and allowed the entry of thousands of aid trucks.

Huckabee emphasized that while Israel will ensure military security in the war zone, it will not be involved in the logistics of delivering food aid.

“The Israelis are going to be involved in providing necessary military security because it is a war zone but they will not be involved in the distribution of the food or even bringing the food into Gaza,” Huckabee said during a press conference.

He asserted that humanitarian assistance will not depend on a ceasefire but rather on the ability to transport food into Gaza.

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Egypt and Qatar renewed their constant efforts in the mediation file, based on a unified and all-round vision aimed at defusing the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, and relieving the unbearable suffering of civilians via creating the…

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) May 8, 2025

Egypt and Qatar have been striving to secure a revival of the ceasefire in Gaza in a way that secures the release of 59 captives still held by Hamas, including 21 believed to be still living, facilitate the entry of aid, and end the war.

Hamas has announced a “comprehensive package” proposal, which includes the release of all captives they still hold in Gaza, alive and deceased, in exchange for an end to the war.

Israel, however, does not want to end the war and has instead shown willingness to only implement a temporary truce in exchange for the release of captives.

Israel has required Hamas to disarm as a precondition to end the war, a demand that the Palestinian resistance movement has denounced as a “red line.”

Israeli forces have killed more than 52,700 Palestinians, primarily among women and children, since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, according to health authorities.

The UN warns that the population of 2.3 million faces imminent famine.

The European Union’s foreign ministers plan to convene on 20 May to review the bloc’s trade agreement with Israel amid Israeli blockage of aid into Gaza.

The Israeli blockade has forced aid organizations to close community soup kitchens due to depleted supplies.

Sidestepping the role of the United Nations in aid distribution, the US announced on Thursday that a new non-governmental foundation will be delivering aid directly to Gaza.

Concerns have been raised by Amnesty International regarding the legality of the foundation's operations and its potential complicity in Israel's occupation.

The American plans, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce says, aims to get food aid into Gaza to reach those eligible without falling into the hands of Hamas.

Reports indicate the establishment of a foundation located in Switzerland, called "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation."

This foundation is looking to hire “mercenaries” to handle aid distribution, according to Swiss newspaper Le Temps.

Despite condemnation, Israeli officials recently indicated plans for an expanded military campaign in Gaza, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stating the territory will be "entirely destroyed."

The Israeli plans indicate potential seizure of the whole enclave, the forced displacement of almost all Palestinians to southern Gaza, while taking control of aid distribution alongside private security contractors.