Doubts about the intentions and feasibility of the US aid plan for Gaza!

As Israel prepares to launch Operation Gideon, a ground military operation in the Gaza Strip, to completely occupy and "cleanse" the strip of Palestinian fighters after transferring its residents in the north and center to the Rafah area in the south, the United States announced a plan to establish a humanitarian aid fund for Gaza. US envoy Steve Witkoff presented this initiative to the UN Security Council, but during the discussion, he was subjected to sharp criticism from some council members, citing Israel's starvation of Gaza's residents. The plan was also rejected by UN organizations and humanitarian relief organizations, because it is subject to Israeli criteria and mechanisms.

The Gaza Aid Fund, according to the US plan, is based on an innovative operating model that includes the establishment of four safe distribution centers across the Gaza Strip, each serving up to 300,000 people. This means that the fund will cover the needs of approximately 1.2 million people in its first phase, with the potential to expand later to reach two million people. According to the plan, aid will be distributed through safe transportation channels, without any military presence, and under the direct supervision of "independent" security and safety teams whose identity has not been determined. Food parcels, hygiene kits, medicine, and water will be distributed solely based on need and without discrimination. The plan indicates that each meal will provide 1,750 calories, at a price of just $1.31. A food package containing 50 family meals will also be provided for $65, delivered directly to Palestinian families at risk. The plan also stipulates that the humanitarian aid fund will be independent of any political or military entity, and that the Israeli army will not be present at distribution centers, although coordination will be maintained with it to ensure safe humanitarian corridors.

The World Health Organization announced that the US plan, while important in meeting some of the basic needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, falls short of the required health and nutritional standards, as it does not include all necessary health aspects, especially in light of the deteriorating living conditions. Reports indicate that the food, water, and health situation in the Gaza Strip has reached a tragic level, as 95% of flour reserves have been depleted, many families depend on one meal per day, and more than 10,000 cases of malnutrition have been recorded among children, including 1,600 severe cases.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a briefing paper that the most vulnerable civilians may have to walk long distances to reach distribution centers, making it difficult for food to reach those most in need. The UN also noted that the system in place before Israel resumed its attacks after the first truce ended in March 2025 included 400 distribution points, while the US plan significantly reduces this number, potentially depriving large segments of the population of food and other essential supplies. The international organization expressed its fear that the plan could be an indirect means of displacing civilians from northern Gaza, as aid centers are likely to be established in the south, forcing residents to leave the north to obtain food. Tania Hary, executive director of the Israeli human rights organization Gisha, believes that the plan "doesn't appear to be a plan for distributing aid, but rather a tool for further pressure, with the aim of making life in Gaza unlivable."

The US announcement of the humanitarian aid plan was accompanied by deafening silence regarding the US administration's position on the Israeli military plan "Gideon's Wagons," which Israel has announced its intention to launch to permanently occupy the Gaza Strip and force Palestinians to migrate from the north and center of the Strip to its south.

The US plan does not clarify where the aid will be distributed: Will it be distributed to civilians in their current locations? Or will they be gathered in a specific geographic area (for example, Rafah) and distributed there? These doubts are reinforced by Netanyahu's statements announcing an expansion of attacks on Gaza, with more residents being transferred "for their own safety!" This aligns with calls by some members of his right-wing coalition for the "voluntary" displacement of Gaza's residents and the rebuilding of Jewish settlements in the Strip.

The issue was not limited to the US aid plan. It coincided with a Reuters report, based on five sources, stating that the United States and Israel had held consultations on the possibility of Washington assuming temporary administration of the Gaza Strip after the war. The consultations propose the formation of a transitional government headed by a US official to oversee the Strip until it is disarmed and stabilized, and a Palestinian administration capable of governing emerges. Reuters sources said that these consultations are still preliminary, likening them to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2003 after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime.

She added that the proposed administration would employ Palestinian technocrats, excluding both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Israel, meanwhile, demanded that reconstruction be limited to specific security zones, that the Gaza Strip be divided, and that permanent military bases be established.

The announcement of the US aid plan coincides with President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, as part of his efforts to strengthen economic and security ties with these countries and his attempt to expand the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia. However, this expansion is contingent on progress in resolving the Gaza conflict, to which the aid plan may be linked. However, the UAE has expressed its refusal to participate in the current aid mechanism, considering it a tool for military control. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia held an informal meeting with Arab leaders to discuss alternatives to the Trump plan for Gaza. They emphasized the need for reconstruction, linking it to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, and rejected any plans to deport the population of the Strip. Hamas also announced its rejection of the US plan, considering it an attempt to bypass it and marginalize its role in the Strip. It accused the United States and Israel of seeking to impose a new reality on the ground.