FIRST ON FOX: (GHF) suspended operations at a women’s food distribution center on Thursday, citing what it described as a credible terror threat from Hamas.
GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay informed Digital that GHF had served about 4,000 of roughly 5,500 assembled Palestinian women when military-aged males gathering nearby began to pose a threat to operations. He added, “At first, small numbers of men appeared to survey the GHF site. Those men began making phone calls, and the group grew to a strength of several hundred.”
“In real time, we received intelligence from trusted local sources indicating that Hamas was planning to rush the site. We also obtained credible information that Hamas operatives were planning to infiltrate women-only distributions by disguising themselves as women,” Fay stated.
Consequently, GHF canceled all women-only distributions across its sites for Friday. Fay commented that the disruption was “not a choice we want to make. It’s a decision forced by Hamas,” adding, “It’s not just threatening us. They’re threatening their own people. The women of Gaza who are simply trying to feed their children are being intimidated and endangered by the very group that claims to represent them. This is deliberate. This is strategic. And this is cruel,” he stated.
Fay accused Hamas of disseminating false information, specifically “telling people that [Secure Distribution Site Three] will be closed next week.” He indicated that the organization is uncertain whether this implies Hamas’s intention to attack the site.
“People are visibly scared,” Fay remarked concerning the rumors and the altered atmosphere. “They’re asking the same question we are: Why threaten the only operation feeding people at scale in Gaza?”
Hamas has previously targeted GHF sites. In July, two veterans employed by GHF were attacked with grenades of Iranian origin while delivering aid.
Fay stated that GHF has encountered increased pressure on its locations since the Israel Defense Forces commenced their offensive against Gaza City. He noted the organization has observed a 15%-20% rise in traffic at its sites over the past few days. He commented, “Many have never been to our sites before. They’re unfamiliar with our process, and that unfamiliarity is creating confusion. Not violence, but increased disorder.”
Fay urged international bodies and the United Nations to collaborate with GHF “so food reaches the people, not Hamas.”
Currently, according to the U.N. Office for Project Services, 5,511 trucks of aid sent into Gaza have been intercepted since May 19. Only 938 trucks (14.5%) have been delivered in this period.
Since commencing operations in May, GHF has provided over 161 million meals, including 1 million today, according to the group.