US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington is considering alternative approaches to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza after its initial US- and Israeli-backed plan faced sharp criticism from the United Nations for lacking transparency.
“We’re troubled by the humanitarian situation there,” Rubio told reporters in Turkey, responding to growing international alarm over the crisis in the war-ravaged enclave. “I hear criticisms of that plan. We’re open to an alternative if someone has a better one,” he added, making it clear that the US seeks to prevent aid from falling into the hands of Hamas. “We are for all the aid we can get without Hamas being able to steal it from people.”
Rubio’s remarks come as the newly established US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced plans to begin distributing aid in the Palestinian territory by the end of the month. The foundation aims to deliver nearly 300 million meals over a 90-day period, though details about the organisation and its funding remain scarce.
The UN has distanced itself from this initiative, expressing concern over the potential for “privatisation and weaponisation of aid.” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the international body would not participate in the plan.
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“I made it clear that we participate in aid operations if they are under our basic principles,” Haq said. “As we’ve stated repeatedly, this particular distribution plan does not accord with our basic principles, including those of impartiality, neutrality, and independence, and we will not be participating in this.”
Israel’s blockade of Gaza, in place for over 18 months following the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, has drawn significant international condemnation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to intensify military operations to “wipe out Hamas,” which remains in control of the territory despite relentless air strikes.
“I think all of us would love to see an enduring end to this conflict, which, by the way, would end immediately if Hamas were to surrender,” Rubio said. “As long as they exist and they’re around, you’re not going to have peace.”
However, concerns are mounting that the US and Israel may be using the guise of humanitarian aid to undermine Hamas’s control, raising fears that the relief effort could become a tool for further conflict.
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