AP video showed fires burning in the shattered building. The warehouse was empty after being hit and raided multiple times during Israeli ground offensives against Hamas fighters over the past year, said residents including Hamza Mohamed.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel has blocked aid from entering Gaza for two months and says it won’t allow food, fuel, water or medicine into theuntil it puts in place a system giving it control over the distribution.
But officials from the U.N. and aid groups say proposals Israel has floated to use its military to distributeare untenable. These officials say they would allow military and political objectives to impede humanitarian goals, put restrictions on who is eligible to give and receive aid, and could force large numbers of Palestinians to move — which would violate international law.Israel has not detailed any of its proposals publicly or put them down in writing. But aid groups have been documenting their conversations with Israeli officials, and The Associated Press obtained more than 40 pages of notes summarizing Israel’s proposals and aid groups’ concerns about them.
Palestinian children line up to wait for donated food at a distribution center in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)Palestinian children line up to wait for donated food at a distribution center in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Aid groups say Israel shouldn’t have any direct role in distributing aid once it arrives in Gaza, and most are saying they will refuse to be part of any such system.
“Israel has the responsibility to facilitate our work, not weaponize it,” said Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the U.N. agency that oversees the coordination of aid Gaza.The GHF proposal said subcontractors will use armored vehicles to transport supplies from the Gaza border to distribution sites, where they will also provide security. It said the aim is to deter criminal gangs or militants from redirecting aid.
Israeli troops move with APC, armored personnel carrier near the border with Gaza, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)Israeli troops move with APC, armored personnel carrier near the border with Gaza, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
It did not specify who would provide security but said it could include personnel who previously worked in the Netzarim Corridor, an Israeli-held zone cutting off northern Gaza. A private logistics and operations company, Safe Reach Solutions, has operated in the corridor.GHF said people will get assistance based on need with no eligibility requirements. This appears to differ from proposals floated by Israel. Aid workers say Israel has said it intends to vet aid recipients and screen them using facial recognition.