Israel considers using foreign subcontractors to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza Strip

The coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering the use of international subcontractors to distribute humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports.

The distribution of aid in Gaza has been a problem throughout the war, as even the U.S. and the United Nations have complained of “armed bandits” looting aid, while Israel directly accuses Hamas of stealing aid delivered to the coastal enclave

The IDF has repeatedly found UN and international aid items in Hamas tunnels and infrastructure. Even Gaza residents have complained that the terror group steals aid intended for them. However, the IDF so far refused to take over aid distribution.

The discussions about aid distribution resumed in earnest after a letter sent by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant threatened that the supply of weapons to Israel would be interrupted if the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza did not improve. 

That letter was leaked to the press last week. The Israeli government has denied there is a policy to restrict aid to the northern Gaza Strip.

The Security Cabinet had already discussed a proposal to hire an international security company to oversee the distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip.

The idea was reportedly discussed again during Sunday night’s cabinet meeting. 

Israel is unwilling to accept the proposal by some in the international community that the Palestinian Authority (PA) be given responsibility for aid distribution due to a lack of trust.

Israeli-American businessman and philanthropist Moti Kahana said he hopes his company, Global Delivery Company (GDC) will be chosen for the task. 

Kahana came to international attention after he created an aid organization Amalia, named after his mother, to assist Syrians who needed medical treatment during the Syrian Civil War. 

Amalia brought Syrians in need of critical medical aid to Israel, where they received treatment from Israeli doctors. This project was a complementary project to the IDF’s "Operation Good Neighbor." 

Kahana has also helped rescue Jews from dangerous situations, including in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Yemen and Afghanistan. 

In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot, Kahana detailed his plan to create “humanitarian bubbles” – safe neighborhoods where humanitarian aid will be distributed to Gaza residents without Hamas interfering. 

The idea centers around the creation of smaller humanitarian zones, which would be protected by security contractors. 

Kahana revealed that he has been already discussing the issue with the United States and the Israeli Defense Ministry for several months. 

“I'm actually an executive contractor,” Kahana said during the interview. "The company is made up of ex-combatants, veterans of elite units from the USA, England, and France.” 

Referring to controversial incidents throughout the war, Kahana noted all security forces would not be Jewish. 

“The common denominator of all of them is that they are not Jewish. When the IDF distributes the aid there will certainly be an incident, as has already happened in the past and civilians were killed. The whole world went berserk and anti-Semitism soared,” Kahana explained. “When an IDF soldier tries to help, the world shouts 'Jews killed Arabs'. I do not distribute the aid as the IDF but as a logistics company.” 

“If something happens, we will send the message to the residents of Gaza: You don't want to mess with us. I assure you that this message will soon get through. They will understand that a new sheriff has arrived in town,” Kahana stated. 

The secure neighborhoods will have “food, a bakery and a kindergarten.” 

“We are the ones who will prepare the day after in Gaza,” he claimed. 

While the company plans to begin with a small local pilot project, the goal is to expand activities to the entire Gaza Strip. 

“People will be able to get in and out of the protected neighborhoods. The neighborhood will have lots of food, excellent schools,” Kahana stated. “Very quickly all of Gaza will want to look like this, and we will build another neighborhood and another neighborhood. The whole world will give money if they see that there is hope. In Baghdad, the same thing happened.” 

He also said GDC would maintain constant communication with the IDF and explained that several high-level staff for the command center are “former senior Israeli officials from the Mossad, the SWAT team and more.” 

Kahana said that the price of the initial operation would be less than U.S. President Joe Biden’s controversial Gaza Aid pier. 

“We told the Americans, 'You spent $350 million on building a port that sank in the sea after eight weeks.' We gave the Americans a discount: $200 million for six months, and it won't sink.”