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FIRST ON FOX – Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-backed aid group that has delivered more than two million boxes containing nearly 125 million meals to Gaza, is unveiling a pilot program enabling families to reserve aid parcels in advance.
The foundation said that as more aid flows into Gaza, families will now be about to use the program to secure their parcels in advance, “bringing more ease, dignity, and order to the collection process.” Under the current set-up at distribution sites, the GHF noted that younger, more fit men often outpace women, children, older men and people with disabilities to access aid, which is collected on a first-come, first-served basis.
“This is real progress,” GHF Executive Director John Acree said in a statement. “It both demonstrates that GHF’s model is working and reflects our commitment to adapting to the needs of those we serve and delivering on President Trump’s call for innovation to get more humanitarian aid into the hands of the people who need it most in Gaza.”
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The voluntary new pilot program, designed to provide “safe, predictable access to GHF’s food aid parcels,” launched on Sunday in the Saudi Neighborhood with 350 participants and is expected to scale up to full implementation in the coming weeks as the foundation works to develop additional distribution sites.
GHF said the new system, which includes women-only days and lanes and community-based distribution, has long been requested by the community and is modeled on programs used by humanitarian organizations in Gaza and around the world. GHF said the pilot is the latest example of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to “meet the very dynamic needs on the ground.”
Under the new system, a trained local worker invites beneficiaries to participate. Those who voluntarily opt into the program will have their photo taken and receive an identification card with their photo and a unique number. GHF said beneficiaries have the option to create a profile online, where they can input information such as household size.
The foundation said a box of aid will be set aside on specific days for each participant, “eliminating the need to partake in the rush.”
“It has always been our plan to offer a way for families to reserve aid in advance and guarantee access, just as other aid organizations do,” Acree said. “Until now, however, conditions on the ground have made implementation of such a program impossible. But with more aid flowing into Gaza and GHF’s deliveries helping stabilize food availability, conditions are improving. We are proud to take this step to deliver on the requests of the community and make distributions easier and more reliable for the people we serve.”
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Aid will continue to be available on a first-come, first-served basis to those who choose not to participate, according to the foundation. GHF said all data is securely stored and never shared.
GHF said the new system also enables the foundation to communicate directly with participating households about distribution times, special deliveries and urgent updates, “allowing the organization to adapt quickly to community needs.”
Since the GHF began its operations on May 27, the organization has partnered with local Palestinian aid workers and non-governmental organizations to deliver nearly 125 million meals to Gazans.
Last month, during a visit to Scotland, President Donald Trump addressed the ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza and the urgency of getting food into the enclave immediately, while doing it safely and securely.
“The United States recently, just a couple of weeks ago, we gave $60 million.… No other nation gave money,” Trump said at the time, as he urged other nations “to step up.”
At least $30 million in U.S. contributions to Gaza have been channeled through the U.S.- and Israeli-backed GHF.
In July, GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay told Fox News Digital that the foundation “has one exclusive mission: to feed the people of Gaza in a way that prevents Hamas from being able to steal or loot or divert the aid.”
In addition to having “zero diversion,” Fay said GHF has “put [aid] directly into the hands of the people who need it the most.”
Fox News Digital’s Beth Bailey contributed to this report.
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