By Michael Pushenko, Australia
Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, that murdered 1,200 innocents and took 250 hostages, triggered the Hamas-Israel war that continues deep into 2025. Following a six-week ceasefire in early 2025, the breakdown of negotiations for the return of Israeli hostages resulted in the IDF launching a renewed military operation, called Gideon’s Chariot, on 18 March 2025. A critical element of this campaign was the creation of an alternative aid delivery mechanism to safeguard humanitarian supplies from diversion by Hamas.
Prior to the Gideon’s Chariot operations, humanitarian aid was delivered primarily under the UN’s control. Aid trucks were checked by the IDF, ensuring no military or illegal items were smuggled in, before passing control to UN agencies in Gaza. But these operations were exploited by Hamas, which diverted, stored, and sold the aid to Palestinian civilians. In response, Israel froze aid operations for three months, implementing a new initiative which undercut Hamas’s exploitation of UN agencies. Gideon’s Chariot exposed Hamas’s abuse of the system and the UN’s tacit collaboration. The new IDF operation has financially complicated Hamas’ existence, but has also ensured aid is delivered directly to Palestinian civilians. Furthermore, the US sanctioned five individuals and five charities for funding Hamas under the guise of humanitarian aid.
Article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention requires that parties to a conflict allow the passage of essential goods intended for civilians. However, it also allows those parties to impose conditions to ensure that aid does not benefit hostile actors. To fulfil its obligations under Article 23, Israel facilitated the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a civilian-led initiative focused on delivering aid directly to the Palestinian population. The GHF model, supported logistically by the IDF but independent in mission and governance, attempts to reconcile humanitarian imperatives with operational security.
GHF Operations & The Sphere Handbook
While the GHF has endeavoured to increase relations with the UN and partner in operations, the UN has continued to refuse collaboration. Some humanitarian organisations have raised concerns that GHF operations set a problematic precedent and fail to comply with the Sphere Handbook. Sphere is a project led by a group of humanitarian NGOs that developed a widely recognised framework for humanitarian operations, set out in the Handbook.
Despite delivering over 130 million meals since its establishment, and delivering 1.1 million meals on August 20, 2025, the GHF has continued to face armed attack and international scrutiny. Much criticism has sought to undermine the legitimacy of its mission and has overlooked its compliance with international humanitarian standards. However, a review of GHF’s operations demonstrates alignment with the ten core Sphere principles.
Principle 1: The humanitarian imperative comes first.
GHF was established to deliver humanitarian assistance during the Israel-Hamas conflict. It has continued to operate despite direct attacks by Hamas on its operations and Hamas placing a bounty on the heads of GHF workers. Tragically, on July 3, 2025, the terrorist group murdered 12 GHF workers. The GHF further reported that Hamas took the bodies to Nasser hospital and threatened medical workers at the hospital not to help the wounded.
Two days later, Hamas attacked GHF workers being transported to the distribution sites, throwing two grenades. Fortunately, they failed to harm anyone, although placing workers in danger. Despite these attacks, GHF has continued to operate and distribute aid.
Principle 2: Aid is given regardless of the race, creed or nationality of the recipients and without adverse distinction of any kind. Aid priorities are calculated on the basis of need alone.
GHF provides aid to all civilians who attend its distribution centres without distinction. While the ongoing conflict has limited the ability for aid delivery into Hamas-controlled areas, they have partnered with local NGOs to ensure aid is being delivered into central Gaza.
Hamas prevents full operations to distribute aid in Central Gaza. Extensive security measures are required to ensure aid is delivered. There is no limitation for delivery according to ethnicity or disregard for those in need. Contrary to criticism, the GHF has distributed aid to meet civilian needs unlike some UN organisations, which collaborated and acted in favour of Hamas.
Principle 3: Aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint.
Consistent with this principle, GHF maintains strict neutrality, avoiding any political or religious alignment in its aid delivery. Their cooperation with the IDF ensures the safety and success of distribution.
With clans present in central and north Gaza and in an active combat zone, the ability to distribute aid directly to north and central Gaza is complicated and problematic. As a result, GHF is delivering aid in an alternative way.
Principle 4: We shall endeavour not to act as instruments of government foreign policy.
Although the IDF provides necessary security and logistical support, the GHF operates independently and is not an instrument of Israeli or American foreign policy. While acting within IDF confines, this is done in the measure of safety, not in line with any foreign policy.
Principle 5: We shall respect culture and custom.
There have been no reports of GHF disrespecting local customs. The distribution remains focused on ensuring aid is distributed appropriately and with respect of the civilians. Videos of Palestinians in Gaza thanking the GHF and America demonstrate the respect that is shown to the Palestinians.
Principle 6: We shall attempt to build disaster response on local capacities.
The GHF has worked within aid centres, developed and reinforced by the IDF, to protect workers and civilians from any military threat. Using them, the GHF has worked ties to ensure safe distribution. A large threat is Hamas hiding among civilians and attacking Palestinian civilians who collect the aid and GHF workers.
Principle 7: Ways shall be found to involve programme beneficiaries in the management of relief aid.
The GHF is limited in its capacity to operate in distributing relief aid because of the continued and active threat posed by Hamas. Palestinians have been engaged in allocation of aid packages to people attending the distribution sites.
As part of its operations, the GHF has also collaborated with clans to distribute humanitarian aid. While this engagement is crucial, it also presents challenges. Internal conflicts among clans have led to violence between clans and distribution centres. Despite these difficulties, the GHF actively involves Palestinians in the distribution of aid.
Principle 8: Relief aid must strive to reduce future vulnerabilities to disaster as well as meeting basic needs.
The GHF maintains transparency through regular public reporting on ‘X’. For the first time since October 7, 2023, because of GHF, Hamas no longer controls humanitarian aid entering Gaza. This change has been observed to significantly enhance the safety of civilians and workers. The GHF operations have eliminated Hamas aid profiteering.
Principle 9: We hold ourselves accountable to both those we seek to assist and those from whom we accept resources.
The GHF has consistently prioritised delivering aid directly to civilians and ensuring accountability for its operations. They maintain transparency through public reporting and actively address international accusations made against them.
Principle 10: In our information, publicity and advertising activities, we shall recognise disaster victims as dignified human beings, not hopeless objects.
In all public communication, the GHF has upheld dignity of those it serves. It recognises the need to distribute aid to the civilians directly.
International media attention has focused on images of Palestinians lining up along large fences before getting food. However, such measures have been necessary to ensure safe distribution of the aid and to protect against threats posed by Hamas towards the aid workers. The structured queuing system has been designed to ensure orderly, secure, and equitable distribution under high-risk conditions, and should not be misinterpreted for political reasons.
UN Opposition
The UN has not been completely replaced by the GHF, but the UN has failed to collect aid delivered into Gaza for distribution. Outside of Rafah lie around 950 food trucks’ worth of aid that UN organisations have expressed no desire to deliver. Hamas threatened anyone attempting to report on these UN failings. Video evidence of Hamas looting a UN humanitarian aid truck surfaced, showing their inability to successfully deliver aid to civilians. As shared by Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst for the ‘Foundation for Defense of Democracies,’ the UN has criticised the GHF in its operations and yet struggles to ensure it can achieve what the GHF has done. Unlike the well-established and secured distribution centres set up for the GHF, the UN has faced difficulty in ensuring safe and secure delivery.
The UNRWA was established in 1949 to help carry out “relief and works programmes” to support Palestinian refugees, but UNRWA operations have been tainted by well-documented links between UNRWA personnel and Hamas, including involvement in the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. UNRWA warehouses were used to store aid diverted by Hamas. Yet the UN continues to defend UNRWA, seeking to preserve its own control over aid delivery rather than addressing these appalling discoveries.
The OCHA, also known as the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, failed to meet its obligations of neutrality and impartiality. A review by the Israeli government investigating OCHA operations revealed violations of its mandate and identified double standards concerning Israel, demonstrating a bias and problematic approach towards the country. Furthermore, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has also shown an anti-Israel bias. Given the UN’s calls for Israel to collaborate with its agencies, these concerns raise serious questions about the impartiality of these bodies.
The UN’s double standards are evident in their commentary on humanitarian aid operations. While the UN OCHA labelled Gaza “the hungriest place on Earth,” they neglected greater humanitarian crises occurring worldwide. Sudan, for example, has suffered a three-year civil war that has displaced over 14 million people, killed around 150,000, and triggered a catastrophic hunger crisis far greater than observed in Gaza. Despite this, the UN remains silent about its own limited aid operations. Between August 2024 and January 2025, only 1,100 humanitarian trucks entered Sudan, while 1,800 trucks entered Gaza between May 2025 and June 2025 under Israel’s coordination. This comparison raises questions about consistency in humanitarian assessment and the UN’s anti-Israel agendas.
IDF Humanitarian Operations
In the last week of July 2025, the IDF, in collaboration with COGAT, began delivering humanitarian aid through airdrops. Their operations, in partnership with the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Spain, France, Germany, and Belgium, enabled the delivery of aid to areas inaccessible to GHF operations. Additionally, the IDF agreed to engage in “local tactical ceasefires” in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City daily until further notice. These ceasefires aim to facilitate the safe passage of the UN in delivering aid. Since the start of the war, the Israeli government has confirmed that 1.9 million tonnes of aid have been delivered to Gaza.
Conclusion
The GHF model demonstrates a lawful and effective humanitarian response under extraordinary conditions. It aligns with the need for aid delivery under the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Sphere Handbook, directly addressing the logistical and ethical challenges of operating in an active warzone.
Instead of criticising the GHF, the international community should recognise its integrity and success. They should applaud its willingness to risk workers’ lives to ensure that civilians receive humanitarian aid. In the face of international and domestic threats, the GHF has consistently fulfilled its core mission of delivering aid.
