New Gaza Aid Initiative: Shifting From U.N. Control to Private Contractors

A new food aid system in Gaza, primarily orchestrated by Israeli figures, aims to transition responsibilities from U.N. agencies to private contractors.

As the conflict in Gaza endures, a transformative development is on the horizon regarding the distribution of humanitarian aid. Israel is preparing to roll out a new food assistance initiative that will transfer responsibilities from established U.N. entities to a selected group of private organizations. This shift has stirred controversy and raised concerns about the motivations behind it.

The innovative aid plan, helmed largely by foreign contractors and touted as impartial, has its roots in Israel, where officials conceived the idea early in the ongoing conflict. Prominent supporters of the plan, including Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, insist that it is “wholly inaccurate” to brand it purely as an Israeli project; however, many insiders reveal that the inception can be directly traced back to a series of discussions among Israeli military officials and business personalities back in late 2023.

This initiative has arisen under the umbrella of the Mikveh Yisrael Forum, an assembly of like-minded figures who convened at a college for strategic discussions in December 2023. By 2024, their momentum gained traction, unifying both political leaders and military commanders in Israel behind the project while collaboratively laying the groundwork with private contractors, including those led by Philip F. Reilly, a former senior CIA official.

As the new structure takes form, it remains to be seen how the on-the-ground realities within Gaza will adapt to this crucial transition, which is being framed as a way to ensure food aid reaches those in need while circumventing potential Hamas interference.