Gaza Strip, May 30, 2025: Tensions escalated at multiple food distribution centers in Gaza as tens of thousands of Palestinians struggled to secure essential supplies amid severe shortages. The distribution sites, operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—a new US- and Israeli-backed initiative—experienced chaotic scenes, with reports of Israeli forces using force to control crowds.
Videos from central Gaza depict smoke bombs and gunfire near a distribution center, where an Israeli tank was also seen. Witnesses attributed these dispersal tactics to Israeli troops after resources ran out.
Mahmoud Ismael, who suffers from a leg injury, described walking miles only to return without any food, lamenting, "There is no food in my house, and I can't get food for my children."
The GHF, established to replace the UN's role in Gaza's food distribution, operates three centers in the region—notably two near the city of Rafah and one near the Netzarim corridor. Despite the influx of nearly 1,000 truckloads of aid reportedly allowed into Gaza by the Israeli military, multiple incidents involving gunfire have resulted in casualties, including fatalities as reported by Gaza health officials.
Brig. Gen. Effei Defrin of the Israeli military asserted the army’s commitment to humanitarian needs while preventing aid from reaching Hamas, whom Israel accuses of seizing aid supplies and withholding hostages.
Access to these centers remains restricted for media and humanitarian agencies. Armed private contractors maintain security within the sites, supported by the nearby Israeli military presence. Recent confrontations have included warning shots and crowd control measures.
Healthcare workers have treated several individuals with gunshot wounds linked to incidents at distribution points, highlighting the severity of disturbances.
Eyewitness accounts from different centers describe disorderly scenes: crowds overwhelming food pallets, instances of theft by groups, and confrontations leading to the use of force including sound grenades and firing at feet to disperse people.
One witness recounted relatives injured amid the chaos, with intense gunfire provoking panic among the crowd.
The UN and most humanitarian organizations have declined participation in the GHF system, criticizing it for compromising humanitarian principles by facilitating Israeli control over aid delivery and incentivizing population movements. They also question the sufficiency of the aid reaching the population.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation maintains it has distributed over 32,200 food boxes since Monday, each containing staples capable of sustaining a family for 58 meals, and plans to expand its operations.
Meanwhile, the UN reports logistical challenges and restricted movement for its trucks, with Israeli authorities limiting access to border crossings essential for aid distribution.
The ongoing conflict also saw Israeli airstrikes claiming at least 34 lives in Gaza on Thursday, while the Israeli government announced plans to advance the establishment of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move widely condemned internationally as an impediment to peace.
