MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
A new group backed by the U.S. is beginning to bring food to Gaza, where hunger is widespread and extreme.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
But the group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is facing suspicion and growing criticism from the U.N., which is running a separate effort to bring aid to Gaza. The group's own director resigned, saying the program is not humanitarian.
MARTIN: Israel says this program, as well as its intensified airstrikes on Gaza, are key to its overall strategy to defeat Hamas. With me now to tell us more about this is NPR's Daniel Estrin. He's on the line from Tel Aviv. Welcome, Daniel. Thanks for joining us.
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: Thank you, Michel.
MARTIN: First of all, what food is getting into Gaza right now?
ESTRIN: Israel started letting in limited quantities after a nearly three-month total ban. There was intense pressure from the U.S. to let food in because of malnutrition and warnings of a famine. But just this effort to get a little amount of food into Gaza has been chaotic. The United Nations World Food Programme delivered flour and supplies to bakeries, and just a couple of days ago, they were overwhelmed by hungry crowds and looters. There were reports of a shootout, and the bakeries shut down. And aid officials I'm speaking with are concerned that this could be a preview of what's to come as this new U.S.-backed group gets ready to deliver food to big crowds of hungry people.
MARTIN: So tell us more about this U.S.-backed group and the controversy surrounding it.
ESTRIN: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a new entity. It involves American contractors. And instead of having food distributed in hundreds of points across Gaza, this group is going to be restricting that to four new zones with Israeli soldiers guarding the perimeter and private contractors giving out boxes of food to families once a week. And it says that it's begun distributing its first food boxes at one site yesterday, and it's going to be ramping up activities. But all the major aid groups in Gaza and the United Nations are refusing to cooperate.
Jake Wood is the U.S. Marine veteran who directed the group. He abruptly resigned just as they were getting started. He said the plan cannot follow principles of humanity and neutrality. And there really is not a lot of transparency about this group, Michel. A private U.S. security company run by a former CIA officer is involved. It's posted a job posting online saying they'll train people on the job. And the group won't say where its funding is coming from. Israel's opposition leader is alleging that Israel is secretly funding the group.
MARTIN: So many questions about this group that aren't being answered, but the U.S. and Israel are backing it. So tell us more about that. Like, why is that? What's the goal here?
ESTRIN: It's really an idea that was devised by Israeli military veterans since the early days of the Gaza war to separate civilians into guarded zones, to feed those civilians and to starve Hamas. Now, Israeli officials have also said publicly that the aim here is to get Palestinians to move south near Egypt as a step toward moving people to other countries. Israel's allies in Europe say that would be forcible mass displacement, and they oppose it. And Hamas is warning Palestinians not to take food from this new U.S.-backed group. So it puts Palestinians in a really difficult position. They're starving. They're telling us that some would refuse to take part, and others, they're desperate, and they would go get that food.
MARTIN: So before we let you go, can you briefly update us on ceasefire negotiations?
ESTRIN: There does seem to be some movement toward a temporary ceasefire and a hostage deal. There's been a flurry of statements from Israel and Hamas yesterday and today. An Israeli negotiating team is expected to be in Cairo today, but it is too soon to be optimistic.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thank you.
ESTRIN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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