Aid org. says Hamas placed cash bounties on US security and Palestinian staff, aiming to dismantle the only functioning humanitarian aid network in Gaza.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced Sunday that its personnel have been directly targeted by Hamas, which the group says has placed bounties on both American and Palestinian staff. The allegations come amid escalating threats against the US- and Israeli-backed aid initiative operating in the Gaza Strip.
“Our aid workers on the ground continue to carry out extraordinary work under unimaginable conditions,” said GHF interim Executive Director John Acree. “We are aware of credible reports that Hamas is openly targeting the GHF and those who work with us. According to these reports, Hamas has placed bounties on both our American security personnel and Palestinian aid workers—offering cash rewards to anyone who injures or kills them.”
Acree added that Hamas has begun stationing armed operatives near humanitarian aid zones “in an effort to disrupt the only functioning aid delivery system in Gaza.”
Despite these threats, GHF marked a milestone on Sunday: over 51 million meals distributed to civilians in Gaza. “We are keenly aware that we remain targets of Hamas’s brutality for simply trying to feed the people of Gaza in the middle of a war,” Acree stated. “Yet we will persist. The men, women, and children remind us why we are here: to feed the people of Gaza and stand with them in their time of need.”
The stark warning follows a deadly attack earlier this month. On June 12, a GHF transport bus carrying over two dozen Palestinian aid workers was ambushed, killing eight and injuring several others. GHF blamed Hamas for the assault, calling it a “heinous and deliberate” act.
“These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others,” the group said in a statement following the incident. The victims were en route to a GHF distribution center near Khan Yunis.
The Israeli Government Press Office responded at the time by condemning the international community’s silence: “Hamas reveals its ultimate goal yet again: seize complete control over the Gazan people and their rights… Will this attack also be ignored?”
GHF began operations in late May, staffed by former humanitarian, government, and military officials. Its distribution centers are guarded by private security and aim to serve up to one million Gaza residents.
The operation has faced criticism from the UN and several non-governmental organizations, which have refused to participate, citing concerns over neutrality and independence. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce dismissed those objections, calling them “the height of hypocrisy.”
“The real story here is that aid, and food, is moving into Gaza at a massive scale,” Bruce said. “This is a complicated environment, and the story is the fact that it’s working.”
On social media, GHF reiterated its resolve. In a recent post, the organization wrote: “We started the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to provide aid where others couldn’t or wouldn’t. 51 million meals later, we’re still here—despite the threats, the attacks, the cowardice of Hamas.”
Another message read: “To Hamas: You can threaten us, shoot at us, even kill our people—but you will never starve Gaza into silence. We are not leaving.”
