FIRST ON FOX: GHF was compelled to halt operations at a women’s food distribution facility on Thursday, citing what it described as a credible terror threat from Hamas.
Chapin Fay, a GHF spokesperson, informed Digital that GHF had served approximately 4,000 of the roughly 5,500 Palestinian women assembled when military-aged men gathering nearby began to pose a threat to the operations. “Initially, small numbers of men appeared to survey the GHF site. Those men then began making phone calls, and their numbers swelled to several hundred.”
“In real time, we received intelligence from trusted local sources indicating that [blank in original] was planning to rush the site. We also obtained credible information that Hamas operatives were planning to infiltrate women-only distributions disguised as women.”
As a result, GHF canceled all women-only distributions across its sites for Friday. Fay stated that this disruption was “not a choice we want to make. It’s a decision forced by Hamas,” adding, “They are not only threatening us; they are 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 action is deliberate. This is strategic. And this is cruel,” he commented.
Fay accused Hamas of spreading false information, specifically “telling people that [Secure Distribution Site Three] will be closed next week.” He mentioned that the organization remains uncertain whether this indicates that Hamas plans to attack the site.
“People are visibly scared,” Fay remarked, referring to the rumors and the change in operational tempo. “They are posing the same question as us: Why threaten the only operation feeding people at scale in Gaza?”
Hamas has previously attacked GHF sites. In July, two veterans employed by GHF were assaulted with grenades of Iranian origin, which are [blank in original] while delivering aid.
Fay noted that GHF has faced increased pressure on its sites since the Israel Defense Forces commenced their offensive against Gaza City. Fay indicated that the organization has observed a 15%-20% surge in traffic at its locations over the past few days. “Many have not previously visited our sites. They are unfamiliar with our process, and that unfamiliarity is creating confusion—not violence, but elevated disorder.”
Fay appealed to international organizations and the United Nations to partner with GHF “to ensure that food reaches the populace, 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 [blank in original] in this period.
Since beginning operations in May, GHF has distributed more than 161 million meals, including 1 million today, the group reported.