The U.S. State Department has approved an initial $30 million grant for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, marking Washington’s first direct financial contribution to the Israeli- and U.S.-backed group that distributes food in the Gaza Strip. A department spokesperson said the funds are intended to keep deliveries flowing during the Israel-Hamas war and urged other governments to contribute. The foundation operates four military-guarded distribution hubs that replaced roughly 400 aid points previously coordinated by the United Nations. Gaza’s health authorities report that since GHF began work in late May, more than 500 Palestinians have been shot dead and almost 4,000 wounded while attempting to reach the sites. UN agencies have branded the mechanism “inherently unsafe,” warning that it forces civilians to travel through active combat zones and exposes them to gunfire. On 1 July a coalition of more than 170 international charities and NGOs—including Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders and Amnesty International—issued a joint statement demanding that the aid scheme be dismantled, the blockade on Gaza eased and UN-led coordination restored. The groups said the current system violates core humanitarian principles and leaves Palestinians facing “an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot.” The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation rejects the accusations, saying it has delivered over 52 million meals in five weeks and inviting other aid organisations to join its effort. Israel’s military, which provides security around the hubs, said it is revising operating instructions after acknowledging civilian harm. Despite intensifying criticism, U.S. officials have not signalled any change in their support for the programme.