{"id":298399,"date":"2025-07-14T12:00:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=298399"},"modified":"2025-07-12T08:12:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T07:12:24","slug":"this-is-how-the-u-s-run-ghf-tried-to-build-a-local-network-of-aid-collaborators-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/07\/this-is-how-the-u-s-run-ghf-tried-to-build-a-local-network-of-aid-collaborators-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is How the U.S.-Run GHF Tried to Build a Local Network of \u2018Aid Collaborators\u2019 in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Mondoweiss Graphic<\/p><\/div>\n

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has taken over the aid system in Gaza on behalf of the Israeli army by cultivating a local network of companies and organizations to collaborate in its operations. The organizations that refused have been shut down.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

10 Jul 2025\u00a0<\/em>–\u00a0The Israel-backed and U.S.-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been weathering one public relations disaster after another as new information continues to expose the organization\u2019s complicity in Israel\u2019s plans to \u201cconcentrate<\/a>\u201d Gaza\u2019s population in camps ahead of their forcible displacement \u2014 in keeping with Israel\u2019s stated military goals<\/a> of conquering the Strip and expelling its people. In service of these goals, the GHF has replaced the UN\u2019s aid distribution system with what Gazans describe as \u201cdeath traps<\/a>,\u201d leading Palestinians to accuse the organization of fulfilling Israeli military objectives under the guise of humanitarianism.<\/p>\n

In order to bolster this facade, the GHF has been actively attempting to pressure international humanitarian organizations into cooperating with the GHF and participating in its operations. The GHF has also actively attempted to form a local network of distributors run by companies known to have collaborated with the Israeli army in the past.<\/p>\n

Speaking with several individuals and organizations approached by the GHF, Mondoweiss<\/em> investigations reveal that Israel and the GHF are attempting to coerce local and international actors into cooperating with the U.S.-Israeli aid scheme. In some cases, the GHF has tasked local companies to engage in outreach to the population to advertise its centers and handle distribution and logistics.<\/p>\n

According to sources inside Gaza, the Israeli army is also pursuing a broader strategy of pressuring humanitarian organizations to either operate under the GHF framework or cease their activities altogether. The Israeli military has reportedly forced several international organizations to distribute their aid through GHF centers, overriding previous agreements that allowed them to operate independently. In many cases, aid shipments that entered through Israeli-controlled crossings were redirected \u2014 without the knowledge or consent of the aid organizations \u2014 to the U.S. company\u2019s centers.<\/p>\n

An official security source in the Gaza civil government told Mondoweiss <\/em>in mid-June that Hamas possesses \u201creliable intelligence\u201d confirming that the GHF has been pressuring local institutions to participate in its operations. These attempts were meant to force organizations to cooperate in a strategy of \u201cengineering starvation and managing chaos,\u201d the official said, which he said was part of \u201ca politically motivated and security-driven project disguised in humanitarian garb.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, these institutions, guided by their national consciousness and ethical commitment, refused to become tools for a party responsible for our people\u2019s suffering,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

But there are some organizations that have cooperated. The GHF and the Israeli army have essentially pursued two paths in dominating the humanitarian landscape in Gaza: forcing international organizations to either work with the GHF or to halt operations, and using local gangs and businesses as part of its \u201cnative\u201d network, giving a Palestinian face to an Israeli-U.S. operation with military and political objectives. Here is how it has attempted to achieve the objective of building this network of \u201caid collaborators.\u201d<\/p>\n

The case of the al-Khozandar Company<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On the night of June 11, 12 employees working for a local trading company were killed after being publicly detained by groups affiliated with Hamas\u2019s security forces. Locals said they were from the Arrow Force<\/a>, the Hamas unit tasked with hunting down looters and Israeli-backed gangs in Gaza. After being reportedly beaten and shot in the foot, the security members publicly accused the individuals of working for a company allegedly collaborating with the Israeli military. Eyewitnesses told Mondoweiss<\/em> that the employees were then lynched by a crowd of people who were allegedly incited by the security members, who reportedly told the crowds that the employees were responsible for the deaths of their loved ones at GHF sites.<\/p>\n

It later became clear that the individuals were employees of the al-Khozandar Company, a commercial firm owned by a Palestinian residing in Cairo.<\/p>\n

The killing of the employees sparked controversy and outrage, with the victims\u2019 families issuing a statement on June 17 demanding accountability. The statement also denied allegations that their sons were working with the Israeli-backed gang led by Yasser Abu Shabab that loots aid across Gaza, calling the accusations \u201cfalse and baseless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Palestinians
Palestinians carry food parcels distributed by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, June 16, 2025. (Photo: Omar Ashtawy\/APA Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The events surrounding the incident, however, reveal a more complex picture. Before the families had issued their statement, the GHF condemned the \u201cmurder of 12 of our aid workers.\u201d In contrast, the families stated that their sons were on their first day of work for al-Khozandar, suggesting that the company was working closely with the GHF.<\/p>\n

The security source in the Gaza government who spoke to Mondoweiss<\/em> in June identified the Mohsen al-Khozandar Trading and Transport corporation, headed by a man named Muhammad al-Khozandar, as a \u201cmorally and nationally compromised\u201d company that \u201ccoordinates directly with suspicious foreign actors at the expense of our people\u2019s interests.\u201d This company, the source added, \u201ccontributes, whether knowingly or not, to the systematic killing and starvation of Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n

He asserted that \u201ccertain measures\u201d have already been taken against the company, and that \u201cmore will follow,\u201d including classifying the company as a \u201ccomplicit entity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Khozandar company has been operating in Gaza for years. Also known as \u201cThree Brothers,\u201d the company specialized in bringing goods into Gaza in coordination with Israel before the war, which led Hamas to classify the company as \u201ccollaborating with the occupation,\u201d according to the security source. The source added that, during the war, the company\u2019s activities expanded noticeably beyond trade, raising suspicions of collaboration with the Israeli army\u2019s military plans.<\/p>\n

According to the Geneva Council for Rights and Liberties<\/a>, Palestinian workers employed by Three Brothers have been \u201cforced to work under conditions resembling modern slavery,\u201d and have been forced to sort and load aid boxes under direct Israeli supervision and to \u201cserve American mercenaries.\u201d The workers were subject to degrading searches by Israeli soldiers, and were not paid any wages, only receiving a few cigarettes and a single daily meal as compensation, according to the Geneva Council, based on testimony it says it has verified.<\/p>\n

Al-Khozandar began implementing the U.S.-Israeli aid distribution scheme in Rafah after it contracted with Safe Reach Solution (SRS), a military contractor that is also the parent company of the GHF and has reportedly conducted military-intelligence operations<\/a> in Gaza using Israeli data. According to a Financial Times<\/em><\/a> investigation, the arrangement was for SRS to provide security at the GHF centers, while the Khozandar company would run distribution, specifically at the Tal Sultan center in Rafah.<\/p>\n

According to local reports, al-Khozandar\u2019s role in the aid scheme is to engage local individuals and civil society organizations to cooperate with the GHF, while the FT<\/em> investigation quoted a source that said Three Brothers would be \u201cthe first interface with the population\u201d at the distribution sites, and that the Khozandar team \u201cwas well known to the Israeli security establishment and had a long history of working with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FT<\/em> reported that SRS had approached several other prominent businessmen in Gaza to staff the centers, but that they refused to participate in the U.S.-Israeli scheme, \u201carguing it amounted to forced displacement of people in the enclave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the al-Khozandar family in Gaza issued a statement<\/a> in May disavowing the Mohsen Khozandar Company and condemning any activities carried out by Muhammad al-Khozandar and his brothers, who manage the firm. The statement was supported by the Contractors Union and business owners in Gaza, who described any cooperation with this scheme as a \u201cbetrayal of national unity\u201d and demanded strict accountability for all those involved.<\/p>\n

Local testimonies also indicate that the company\u2019s managers from the al-Khozandar family phoned several prominent influencers and content creators in Gaza, urging them to promote the company\u2019s aid centers and claiming they were safe and free from inspections or any violations of people\u2019s dignity.<\/p>\n

\"Palestinians
Palestinians carry food packages distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, June 16, 2025. (Photo: Omar Ashtawy\/APA Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yahya Hilles, a digital creator<\/a>, told Mondoweiss<\/em> that a person going by the name of Noor al-Khozandar contacted him and spoke with him for over an hour, trying to convince him to encourage people to go to the GHF centers. Hilles explained that he consulted his family elders, who firmly opposed any involvement in promoting this project.<\/p>\n

\u201cNoor al-Khozandar kept insisting, urging me to go, film, and promote the centers, but I repeatedly asked him why he came to me specifically,\u201d Hilles said. \u201cHe gave no clear answer. He knew that people trust me and believe what I share on social media, so he wants to drag me into this. He told me there would be no soldiers or Americans, and that I would just carry aid and return home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that, even if things might go smoothly the first or second time, it might later turn into a disaster,\u201d Hilles added. \u201cIn that case, I would be responsible before my people, so I categorically refused. I told him clearly: this issue is bigger than one person, with serious security and political implications. It cannot be handled through a simple call from one person to another.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli army attempts to strong-arm international organizations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rahma Worldwide is among the most active humanitarian organizations in Gaza since the war began, although it has been operating in the territory since 2017. During the war, it became notably involved in facilitating the entry of medical delegations and volunteers to Gaza hospitals, where they provided services for a limited time before leaving the territory.<\/p>\n

The organization has an extensive history in humanitarian relief. Recently, however, the Israeli military attempted to coerce Rahma Worldwide into operating under the umbrella of the GHF. In late May, the organization\u2019s director, Dr. Shadi Zaza, told\u00a0Mondoweiss<\/em>\u00a0that Rahma Worldwide rejected the collaboration.<\/p>\n

Zaza stated that the organization operates in Gaza as part of a group that includes several humanitarian institutions, including some affiliated with the UN. He said that the Israeli army had informed them of the addition of a new institution \u2014 the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation \u2014 to this group, and later announced changes to the aid distribution plan, including designating new distribution points where each organization would be required to send its staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are always on standby,\u201d Zaza said. \u201cWe\u2019re ready anytime we\u2019re permitted to bring in aid. Our goods are prepared and waiting at the crossings.\u201d He noted that Rahma Worldwide had received permission the previous month to deliver four trucks carrying 4,000 food parcels, only to be surprised by an Israeli army order to transfer the aid to distribution points managed by the GHF, along with a demand that Rahma staff help with distribution there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe categorically refused this request,\u201d Zaza stated. \u201cOur agreement with the army was clear \u2014 we would distribute our parcels at locations designated for our organization, not those belonging to any other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite Rahma Worldwide\u2019s request that the parcels be redirected to their own sites, the army insisted on sending them to the GHF-run facilities. The army also declared that GHF was now the sole authority responsible for aid distribution in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, the 4,000 parcels were transferred to Rafah, and the army contacted Rahma\u2019s team, urging them to assist with distribution. But the team reached out to the organization\u2019s U.S. headquarters, which unequivocally rejected involvement with the GHF.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not be part of this mechanism. We reject it entirely,\u201d said Zaza, highlighting that the army continues to pressure aid groups, especially those importing goods from Egypt, Jordan, or even the West Bank, insisting that all items be sourced from within Israel.<\/p>\n

As a final request, Rahma Worldwide asked for its logos to be removed from the food boxes that were to be distributed at the GHF\u2019s sites to avoid appearing as a participant or collaborator in the distribution scheme. This, Zaza said, reflects the organization\u2019s firm opposition to the scheme.<\/p>\n

According to the organization, some of the logos were removed, but boxes bearing the Rahma logo were nonetheless distributed at locations affiliated with the GHF on at least one occasion, which the organization said was beyond its control.<\/p>\n

Rahma identified these Israeli efforts early on as attempts to forcibly integrate them into the GHF\u2019s network. Upon the organization\u2019s refusal, the army imposed even more stringent conditions for aid entry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have over 20,000 food parcels ready in our warehouses,\u201d Zaza added. \u201cBut we refuse to deliver them through the American organization\u2019s mechanism. That organization was originally just one of many working here\u2014we had no issue with that. But now that it\u2019s trying to monopolize aid and impose its control, that is completely unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Palestinians
Palestinians carry food parcels distributed by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, June 16, 2025. (Photo: Omar Ashtawy\/APA Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This stance of refusal reflects a broader trend among humanitarian organizations in Gaza, many of which oppose the GHF for its role in facilitating Israeli military objectives. Continued pressure for these organizations to work with the GHF or leave, some warn, could lead to the withdrawal of many aid organizations from Gaza entirely, creating a severe gap in humanitarian assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Israel continues imposing this style of control and management, we simply won\u2019t bring in aid,\u201d Zaza said. \u201cOther organizations may follow our lead. This policy \u2014 though unofficial \u2014 may well be Israel\u2019s way of clearing the field of independent organizations and turning humanitarian work into a fully controlled instrument.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some international humanitarian organizations have begun cutting ties with the Boston Consulting Group, the company that helped conceive and launch the GHF<\/a> and had even modelled the costs of \u201crelocating\u201d Palestinians outside of Gaza. Save the Children recently ended a two-decade partnership with the BCG<\/a> over its role in the GHF, calling the aid organization\u2019s plan to forcibly displace Gaza\u2019s population \u201cutterly unacceptable.\u201d BCG\u2019s chief executive admitted that its involvement in the GHF was \u201creputationally damaging\u201d and the result of \u201cdeliberate individual misconduct\u201d and \u201cmissed warning signs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The GHF has continued to push organizations to work with it as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen. On July 6, the GHF announced<\/a> that it had met with the Country Director of the UN\u2019s World Food Programme (WFP) to propose a plan to help it \u201cfeed the north of Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, nearly all their trucks are being looted,\u201d the GHF said. \u201cWe hope they will put politics aside and accept our proposal soon so we can achieve our shared mission: getting more aid to the people of Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

The GHF was responding to a WFP statement that the need for food in Gaza was desperate. \u201cWFP stand ready to assist the entire population,\u201d the WFP said. \u201cWe have the food, the capacity and the systems.\u201d The WFP could not be reached for comment regarding whether it had agreed to work with the GHF.<\/p>\n

In an abrupt development on Monday, July 7, the GHF announced the closure of its center in central Gaza near the Netzarim Corridor until further notice. This was followed by another announcement on Wednesday, July 9, declaring the closure of its distribution point in Khan Younis. At present, only the GHF\u2019s distribution center in Rafah remains operational.<\/p>\n

These announcements come amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. One of Hamas\u2019s conditions for the prospective 60-day ceasefire period is that aid distributions be handled exclusively by the United Nations and its agencies operating in Gaza, completely excluding the GHF. This condition was reportedly accepted in the ceasefire talks.<\/p>\n

This has led local reporters to speculate that the closure of the GHF\u2019s distribution centers indicates that an agreement regarding the ceasefire\u2019s terms is near, with the GHF complying with\u00a0Hamas\u2019s demand<\/a>\u00a0by halting its operations in the Strip. Local sources say it is expected that the Rafah distribution center may also be closed in the coming days, signaling that the ceasefire might soon go into effect.<\/p>\n

___________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Tareq S. Hajjaj is the Gaza Correspondent for <\/em>Mondoweiss and a member of the Palestinian Writers Union.<\/em><\/p>\n

Muhammad Eslayeh and Ahmad Jalal contributed reporting to this piece.<\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original – mondoweiss.net<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

10 Jul 2025 – In service of Israel\u2019s military goals of conquering the Strip and expelling Gazans, the GHF has replaced the UN\u2019s aid distribution system with \u201cdeath traps,\u201d leading the organization to fulfill Israeli genocidal objectives under the guise of humanitarianism. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":298400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[3287,2642,2009,1854,1199,2242,87,3505,865,1113,1966,88,715,427,1714,70,965,1025],"class_list":["post-298399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlight","tag-anti-zionism","tag-anti-imperialism","tag-anti-war","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-ethnic-cleansing","tag-famine","tag-gaza","tag-gaza-humanitarian-foundation-ghf","tag-genocide","tag-hoax","tag-hunger","tag-israel","tag-massacre","tag-palestine","tag-right-to-food","tag-usa","tag-war-crimes","tag-west-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298402,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298399\/revisions\/298402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}