Tehran – Since March 2, 2025, Gaza has been under the strict Israeli siege, stopping important humanitarian items such as food, water and medical supplies. The lockdown has caused a serious crisis for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, with nearly half a million facing acute malnutrition and potential deaths.
It notes who emphasizes the dire situation and the intentional nature of the lockdown while people are starving and aid is blocked nearby.
The IPC reports that 75% of Gaza’s population face “urgent” or “devastating” food anxiety, indicating an escalating hunger crisis. Unrwa has condemned the use of aid as a weapon, and Chief Philip Lazarini suggests that these actions could be war crimes or genocides. Destruction of private infrastructure will further exacerbate the crisis, increase population vulnerability and undermine resilience.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
In this tragic context, a new controversial actor emerged: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Founded in Switzerland in February 2025, GHF claims to be a humanitarian aid distributor, but operates under a veil of secret and military support.
The investigation reveals that the GHF will serve as a front line for a network of civilian mercenary companies and receive large amounts of funds from Israeli military intelligence agencies, including the Mossad and the Ministry of War. The funds reportedly have been poured through opaque shell companies, with millions of dollars flowing from private sources.
The numbers of Israeli opposition have publicly accused the Netanyahu government of using GHF to replace UNRWA. Israel has designated a terrorist organization since 2024. The GHF model is essential to Israel’s broader strategy of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, forcing Palestinians to relocate or force them to monitor camp-like camp-like.
The internal GHF document acknowledges that aid distribution centres may be perceived as “biometric concentration camps,” revealing the dystopian and forced nature of the surgery.
Militarization and involvement of mercenaries
GHF’s operations are heavily militarized and protected by civilian mercenary companies such as Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions, which are run by former CIA operatives and special forces veterans. These mercenaries manage checkpoints and distribution centres and often resort to violence against desperate Palestinians in search of assistance. On May 27, Israeli soldiers and American safety contractors fired fire at a crowd near GHF distribution point, killing more than 130 Palestinians and injuring more than 150.
Fracture of humanitarian principles and internal objections
The GHF’s internal crisis sparked the resignation of its leadership. Even CEOs and COOs resigned in protest of the failure of organizations that did not respect neutrality, fairness and humanity. Despite these resignations, the GHF continues to function under Israeli military protection and with the implicit support of the US government, which has since approved the scheme and provided similarities in legality. This militarized, opaque aid supply system has replaced the United Nations, which undermines decades of humanitarian activity by UNRWA and other agencies.
The UN and WHO are promoting the crisis more deeply as statements recommending the lifting of lockdowns and halting humanitarian access defences have been dismissed or actively hampered by Israeli authorities.
Wide range of humanitarian impacts
The intentional hunger and siege caused the collapse of the Gaza health system. More than a third of the essential medical supplies are out of stock, but many medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed due to an ongoing Israeli raid.
Malnutrition-related deaths, especially children, are rising rapidly. Since the beginning of the siege, 57 children have been reported to have died of malnutrition, and predictions estimate that if lockdown continues, approximately 71,000 children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition within the coming months.
Gaza’s psychological and social structures are in the process of being unraveled as they face constant threats of starvation, refuge, and violence. Using food as a weapon is not only a humanitarian catastrophe, but also a complete violation of international law and human rights.
The 2025 Gaza situation will be on the central stage in demonstrating star and manipulated aid as tools for war and ethnic cleansing. The concealment control of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation through Israeli side and militarized distribution of aid violates humanitarian principles, but replacing it with UNRWA’s paid operative organization erodes international accountability.
The failure of the international community to stand up against siege and weaponized aid speaks to the acceptance of a policy of collective punishment.
The US’s recognition of the GHF, along with silence regarding human victims, calls for reflection on the ethics surrounding these actions. Starving the people of Gaza in this way is an inhumane strategy with terrible consequences. Eliminating the lockdown requires immediate attention, along with restoring legitimate aid routes and enforcing accounts.