Armed ex-troops to deliver Gaza aid for new 'murky' US private organisation

A US-based private organisation is preparing to take control of desperately needed humanitarian supplies in Gaza, using armed, former military personnel instead of humanitarian staff to deliver aid.

The controversial plan, spearheaded by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), will involve American ex-soldiers kitted out in full tactical gear, trained in Israel, and deployed to manage aid deliveries through "secure distribution sites" across southern Gaza.

The plan is set to begin at the end of May, Israeli sources say, and is backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet - though the implementation is still under preparation, according to Israeli media.

The GHF, launched by former American diplomats, security experts, and humanitarian professionals, has pledged to restore aid to Gaza with what it calls a "transparent, independent, and secure" delivery model.

According to leaked GHF operational documents, the aid effort could reach up to two million people through tightly controlled sites using armoured vehicles and GPS-tracked convoys, although this figure has been disputed.

The organisation claims its goal is to bypass Hamas and deliver food and medical aid directly to Palestinian civilians. Under this new method, no UN or local aid agency involvement is foreseen.

Instead, private contractors will distribute boxes of supplies, each said to contain 50 full meals, under tight surveillance and outside the control of the Palestinian authorities in Gaza.

Each aid box will cost $65, covering food, water, hygiene kits, and medications for a week. The Foundation boasts financial oversight by global audit firms and legal guidance from experts in humanitarian law.

Photos published by Israeli outlets showed heavily armed Americans receiving briefings in Israel. Their identities have not been publicly confirmed, but reports suggest that many are former members of elite US military units with experience in global conflict zones.

The move follows growing pressure from the US administration and other allies for Israel to allow more humanitarian access into Gaza.

For weeks, nearly 60 hostages have remained in Hamas captivity while aid flows have dramatically decreased. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insisted no aid would be permitted if there's any risk of it reaching Hamas.

For now, the government has permitted only "minimal" aid via the old UN-operated route, just nine trucks a day, until the GHF system launches.

Over a dozen British and international NGOs slammed the initiative, calling it a "dangerous, politicised sham" that risks deepening Gaza’s suffering.

In an open letter, groups including Action for Humanity and the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) said GHF operates "without Palestinian involvement, accountability, or legitimacy".

They warned that armed aid delivery undermines humanitarian neutrality and could be used as cover for military goals.

The letter read: "Aid does not need rebranding. It needs to be allowed in."

In response, Jake Wood, the group’s executive director and a US military veteran, told CNN:  "We will not participate in anything that involves forcibly relocating Palestinians. Our goal is simple: feed people who haven’t seen consistent aid in over ten weeks."

However, aid groups fear the use of private security firms, limited distribution sites, and the exclusion of UN agencies will fragment Gaza’s already failing relief networks.

They also warned that the plan’s reach, 1.2 million people, is insufficient in a territory home to more than 2.2 million.