Thousands of Palestinians have invaded one of the new aid distribution sites in southern Gaza, only hours after the army announced the new aid mechanism, supported by Israel and the United States, began to operate for the first time.
Images published on social networks have shown that crowds entering the region and taking boxes of food.
The FDI, which secures the area around the installation, confirmed that the troops had fired on guard outside the complex, but denied reports claiming that it had opened the fire of a helicopter or to the center itself.
A military source said that an Israeli Air Force helicopter operated on the sea at the time of the incident, but not close to the distribution site.
“Control of the situation has been established, food distribution operations should continue as planned and the safety of TSAhal troops has not been compromised,” added the army.
According to Palestinian reports, US security personnel responsible for having secured the region fled the premises. There was no victims report in the incident.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, newly created in Israel, sought to minimize the incident, saying that its American security subcontractors collapsed to allow “a small number” of people to take food.
???? Quet انطلاق عملها في جنوب قطاع # غغة pic.twitter.com/whdrefyjhh
– عربي بوست (@Arabic_Post) May 27, 2025
“The needs on the ground are excellent. At a time from the end of the afternoon, the volume of SDS people was such that the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Gazans to take help safely and dissipate,” GHF said in a statement.
Before burglary, GHF said that “around 8,000 food boxes have been distributed so far. Each box feeds 5.5 people for 3.5 days, totaling 462,000 meals. ”
GHF said its operations returned to normal.
The army announced earlier that two out of four sites started operating for the first time, initially offering food packages to thousands of Palestinian families.
However, an Israeli security official also tried to minimize the incident, saying to the YNET site that no help had been looted.
The newly open aid centers are operated by the GHF, an American organization supported by Israel, designed to bypass the UN and traditional aid agencies in order to keep Hamas supplies.
The UN and other international organizations have retained the essential support of the GHF, arguing that its assistance initiative violates humanitarian principles by forcing Gazans to travel long distances in order to receive aid and limit distribution south of Gaza, a decision that would force the Palestinian population forcibly.
Images allegedly show that thousands of Palestinians exceed one of the Rafah aid distribution sites from the south of Gaza a short time ago.
There is no immediate comment from the FDI on the incident. pic.twitter.com/cvasfyhlgz
– Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 27, 2025
مشاهد من فقدان ا Lette pic.twitter.com/pis0cgmsyg
– القسطل الإخباري (@alqastalps) May 27, 2025
Three of the distribution sites are located in the Sultan region of Rafah in the south of Gaza, while the fourth is in the region of the Netzarim corridor, south of Gaza City. The two sites that started operations on Tuesday are in Rafah.
“The creation of distribution centers has taken place in recent months, facilitated by the Israeli political level and in coordination with the American government,” said the FDI in its first official commentary on the aid sites.
An infographic published by the FDI on May 29, 2025 shows aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip. (Israeli defense forces)
“This process has coincided with a dialogue and cooperation in progress with the FDI, through the Southern Command and Cogat, as well as international aid organizations, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and the American Civilian Company,” he said.
The FDI said that it “continues to facilitate humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, while making all possible efforts to ensure that the aid does not reach the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization”.
Images published by the FDI on May 27, 2025 show a help distribution site in the Rafah in the south of Gaza. (Israeli defense forces)
The images have shown that help boxes included bags of rice and dry beans, as well as flour, oil, salt and canned vegetables, many of which in Israeli packaging.
A Palestinian is on the content of a food set of a foundation supported by the United States, committing to distribute humanitarian aid to Western Rafah in the Southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Even before Chaos on Tuesday, the Palestinians expressed mistrust on the new program.
“As much as I want to go because I’m hungry and my children are hungry, I’m afraid,” said Abu Ahmed, 55, a father of seven years. “I am so afraid because they said that society belonged to Israel and is a mercenary, and also because the resistance (Hamas) said not to go,” he said in a message on the application of Whatsapp.
Hamas, which has been faced in recent months with demonstrations of many Palestinians who want the devastating war to end, warned residents of access to GHF sites, saying that Israel used the company to collect information on information.
A Palestinian holds the content of a food set of a foundation supported by the United States, committing to distribute humanitarian aid to Western Rafah, in the Southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2025. (AFP)
“Do not go to Rafah … Do not fall into the trap … Do not risk your life. Your houses are your fortress. Staying in your neighborhoods is survival, and conscience is your protection,” said a statement published by the inner front linked to Hamas.
“These programs will be broken by the constancy of a people who do not know defeat,” he added.
“Before the war, my refrigerator was full of meat, chicken, dairy products, soft drinks, everything, and now I beg a miche of bread,” Abu Ahmed told Reuters via a cat application.
While the mechanism began its operations, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Humanitarian Office (OCHA), said that GHF was a distraction of what is necessary, such as the opening of crossing points.
The displaced Palestinians receive food packages from a foundation supported by the United States, committing to distribute humanitarian aid in the west of Rafah in the Southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2025. (AFP)
In addition, Juliette Touma, communications director of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, said the UN does not know what is distributed.
“We have no information,” she said. “We know what is necessary, we know what is missing and we are very, very far from this daily target.”
“The needs are at least 500 to 600 trucks that should enter Gaza, loaded with supplies. Not only food but also medications, medical supplies, vaccines for children, fuel, water and other bases for people’s survival,” said Touma. “We have more than 3,000 trucks, not only of food, but also drugs that line up in places like Jordan, like Egypt, which are waiting for the green light to between, and they transport drugs, and which soon expires.”
While technically an American company, GHF was created earlier this year in close coordination with the Israeli authorities, which believed that the existing aid distribution mechanisms led by the UN and other international organizations were insufficient to prevent the diversion of aid by Hamas.
Israel wanted to create a small number of distribution sites where preselected family representatives could take a heavy box full of food for their families in a secure area and operated by American private entrepreneurs.
Police clear demonstrators are trying to block Gaza Aid
Earlier Tuesday morning, police said they had authorized Israeli demonstrators who blocked the exit from the port of Ashdod in order to prevent trucks from transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Two activists were arrested for disrupting public order and refusing to comply with the police orders to clean the road, police said.
According to reports, the two are Ruth Ben Haim, the leader of the group of activists Tzav 9, who led efforts to block the assistance of the entry to Gaza, and an assassinated Maya Goren hostage parent.
The video of the scene showed chaos while the police tried to clean the demonstrators and activists of the standing group together, who apparently arrived on the scene to protect the expeditions.
בזמן שהמילוא taken אין להם בושה להגיע גם ל ולהתעמת איתנו.
סרן במיל ‘עומר ולדמן ממובילי התנועה ששירתה מאות ימי מילואים, לא staff חי ever:
בצד של מי אתם?! תתב 199 לכם! pic.twitter.com/rlbdnpcpk5
– המיל blie May 27, 2025
“The police have made order in the region and continue to help the FDIs obtain assistance shipments,” the police said in a statement.
Under pressure from allies, Israel began to allow a humanitarian aid net in Gaza last week after blocked all foods, drugs, fuel or other goods from the entrance since March 2. Help groups have warned against famine and say that the help that came is far from enough to meet the assembly needs.
The Gaza Ministry of Health, managed by Hamas, said on Monday that at least 3,822 people had been killed in the territory since the last cease-fire collapsed on March 18, making the overall war of the war at 53,977-a figure that cannot be checked and does not make the difference between civilians and combatants.
The war broke out on October 7, 2023, when the terrorists led by Hamas invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians and kidnapping 251. Terrorist groups of the Gaza Strip still hold 58 hostages, including 57 of the 251 kidnapped on October 7.
