Gaza aid distribution faces serious hurdles as firms leave amid criticism

The American-Israeli effort to operate a humanitarian aid network for Gaza has run into serious difficulties: Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which was hired to plan and manage the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), announced the end of the contract and withdrawal from its field missions in Tel Aviv, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

In recent weeks, right before the GHF began operating, two senior figures in the project left the group. Additionally, the Israeli army has been accused of opening fire at civilians attempting to collect aid, and the UN and central aid organizations refuse to participate in the current aid apparatus.

According to those involved in the project, BCG played a key role in logistics operations and setting up distribution centers in the southern strip. The fund reported distributing over 7 million food parcels in its first week of operation, but criticism is mounting. The UN argues that the model contradicts the principles of humanitarian neutrality, and it may even serve Israeli military purposes.

Over the past three days, the Israel Defense Forces had accusations leveled of shooting incidents, causing injuries and even fatalities near distribution centers. The IDF launched an investigation into the circumstances of the events.

A humanitarian actor who refused to join the initiative pointed out to The Washington Post that Israel currently controls everything that enters and exits Gaza, making the prospects of humanitarian aid being neutral no longer possible.

Earlier on Tuesday reports surfaced in local Gazan media that at least 20 Gazans were killed by IDF fire near the humanitarian distribution area in Rafah.

An IDF soldier present at the shooting incident near the distribution center told i24NEWS that "Civilians arriving in the distribution area are supposed to follow a certain route until they reach a barricade that extends to the distribution area, the purpose being to keep them away from IDF forces and to prevent danger to our troops. The route they are forbidden to be on is clearly marked, there is a cable blocking the turn to it, and there is an Israeli flag there. Today, they deviated from the route they are allowed to be on, and several hundred people began running towards IDF forces, they reached a distance of 200 to 300 meters. The forces that felt in danger fired towards the people in order to distance them."

Meanwhile, Hamas told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, based in London but founded by the Saudis, that "security forces and members of the military wing of Hamas were instructed to act decisively against crime in the Strip. The directives include the pursuit of gangs, the punishment of traders exploiting citizens, and sometimes also the imposition of physical punishments, according to the severity of the actions. As part of the enforcement, a security force arrested a gang that robbed the American hospital in Al-Zawiya." According to reports, one of the group members was killed, others were shot or beaten and dragged through the streets as a warning.

According to Hamas sources, in the last 72 hours, at least 12 people have been killed or attacked, some on criminal grounds and some on suspicion of collaboration with Israel. Hamas claims that many gangs are operating under the cover of Israeli intelligence agencies or external entities, taking advantage of the chaos to spread anarchy. The organization emphasizes that executions are only carried out after a heavy suspicion of harming Palestinians or collaborating with Israel has been established.

The campaign, according to Hamas, is designed to create deterrence and restore a sense of security in the Gazan street, especially against the growing feeling of citizens that no one is protecting them. According to those sources, law enforcement will continue, even if limited, due to the need to prevent security forces from becoming an easy target for Israeli attacks.