U.S. plan for Gaza aid would use private contractors, Huckabee says

U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Friday said the United States has launched a plan to distribute aid to Palestinians in Gaza through private security contractors. The plan will prevent the Hamas terrorist organization from diverting supplies to aid terrorists, Huckabee said. The Israeli military will not be involved in aid delivery or distribution, but it will secure the perimeters of distribution hubs, he said. Distribution will begin at an initial number of hubs and expand to more locations as resources allow, he said.

The news comes as Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza enters its third month. President Donald Trump considers the lack of aid a serious issue and urged his team to address it as soon as possible, Huckabee said. Hamas is solely to blame for the situation, and the Israeli government supports the U.S. plan, he said. The United Nations’ humanitarian office on Wednesday said a third of U.N.-supported community kitchens had shut down in the previous 10 days. Many households were also running low on drinking water, the report said.

Is the planned aid coming only from the United States? The United States is heading up the plan, but will need partnership from other countries and humanitarian organizations, Huckabee said. The effort had garnered several partners already, but Huckabee was not yet ready to name them.

Is the aid dependent on a ceasefire? No, Huckabee said. Aid will begin flowing as soon as the United States and its partners can gather supplies and bring them into Gaza.

Will the United Nations be one of those partners? A spokesman for the U.N. humanitarian office said it would not participate in the plan. The proposed system was at odds with principled humanitarian procedures, Jens Laerke told the BBC.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Israel’s recently disclosed plans to take all of Gaza.