Quds News Network

Washington (Quds News Network)- US President Donald Trump has said that Israel will "preside over" aid distribution sites in Gaza, suggesting the US is not ready to support the resumption of aid distribution in Gaza through the UN and its partners on the ground. Speaking to reporters onboard his presidential jet on Tuesday, he claimed, “A lot of things have been stolen. They send money. They send food. And Hamas steals it.” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, “We’re going to be dealing with Israel. And we think they can do a good job of it. They want to preside over the food centres to make sure the distribution is proper.” Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid meant for civilians. Hamas rejects the charge, saying a number of its own members have been killed securing the trucks from armed looters who are being protected and armed by Israeli forces. A USAID analysis this month found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip. The analysis was completed in late June. It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of US-funded supplies reported by US aid partner organizations between October 2023 and this May. It found “no reports alleging Hamas” benefited from the supplies. The analysis found that at least 44 of the 156 incidents where aid supplies were reported stolen or lost were “either directly or indirectly” due to Israeli military actions. Even Israeli officials have anonymously told news outlets like The New York Times that there is no evidence food is being diverted to Hamas. The claim has been denied by aid groups and United Nations officials. It is not clear where and when the sites would be set up, and whether Israel would run them directly or through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GFH), a scandal-plagued organization backed by the US and Israel, created to bypass the UN’s established aid delivery infrastructure in Gaza. Mass killings of aid seekers near and at GHF aid sites have become a grim daily reality amid chaotic scenes, as desperate Palestinians are given only a narrow window to rush for food and are targeted by Israeli forces and American mercenaries. Palestinians in Gaza and the UN described these sites as “mass death traps” and “slaughterhouses”. Critics say that putting Israeli forces in charge of food distribution sites risks further atrocities against aid seekers. The "worst-case scenario of famine" is unfolding in Gaza, according to a warning issued on Tuesday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), as Israel continues to block aid from entering the enclave for about five months. Trump admitted Monday that there is “real starvation” in Gaza, citing Gaza’s emaciated children. He said, “Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry, but we’re giving a lot of money and a lot of food, and other nations are now stepping up.”

Trump: Israel Will “Preside Over” US Aid Distribution in Gaza

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