US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to be shut down under Gaza Peace Plan – report

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which was established in May with support from the U.S. and Israel, is set to be closed down per the as yet unpublished humanitarian annex to the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, officials told The Times of Israel (TOI).

However, despite reports that three of the four GHF aid distribution sites had already been abandoned, GHF Executive Director John Acree said that the organization’s “commitment remains the same: to deliver aid consistently and directly to as many families in Gaza as possible, for however long it takes.”

According to an excerpt from the annex cited by TOI, “UN agencies, other organizations, the Red Crescent and countries operating in the Strip will receive and distribute aid.”

“We will not rest so long as there are Gazans in need. It’s our mission and it continues on.”

— GHF Executive Director, John Acree pic.twitter.com/HGQ0MGGnbq

— Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (@GHFUpdates) October 14, 2025

An Arab diplomat added that the formulation “other organizations” was only included at Israel’s demand. An Israeli official told the outlet that Israel doesn’t expect it (the GHF) to continue operating in Gaza.

The creation of GHF was meant to establish an aid distribution system that would get aid to civilians while preventing it from reaching Hamas.

A propaganda campaign supported by Hamas has been claiming that the foundation was an Israeli project to create “death traps” for Gazans, with alleged support for this theory coming from reports that Israeli troops killed thousands of Gazans near the distribution sites.

Israel has confirmed that in some of the incidents, its soldiers opened fire to prevent themselves from being overrun, when they were approached by large crowds.

GHF’s local workers have been the heroes of our mission.

They’ve risked everything, often moving their families to safety from Hamas’s threats, just to keep serving their community.

Because of their courage, we’ve been able to deliver over 185 million meals to the people of… pic.twitter.com/x7M0vy9a8S

— Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (@GHFUpdates) October 13, 2025

The GHF has been pleading for funding and cooperation from the UN, but has consistently been refused. Most of its funds have come from the U.S., and the group’s aid has dwindled over the past two months due to a lack of money.

“Throughout this period of transition, GHF will continue making tactical adjustments to our operations. These short-term adjustments do not alter our long-term plans or mission,” Acree said.

The group says it has delivered 185 million meals to civilians in the Gaza Strip so far.

According to a U.S. official talking to the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), the “overarching idea” of President Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan included the elimination of Hamas, and that “the looting of UN-delivered aid will be substantially reduced or eliminated as hostilities come to an end.”

That would “eliminate the need for the GHF,” he said, noting it “was never meant to be around forever but to be a solution to the problem of mass theft of aid.”

However, he added that it would not be closed down immediately as the UN-affiliated groups would first have to prove they can handle the large volume of aid.

After the start of the ceasefire, Israel ramped up the amount of aid entering the Strip; however, it limited the amount for around a day as punishment for Hamas returning only four hostage bodies on Monday, thus breaking the agreement.