Hamas has "formally placed bounties" on American aid workers with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and has demanded, as a ceasefire condition, that the United States end all humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, The Washington Free Beacon reported, citing a State Department cable.
The June 30 cable, which was reportedly sent from the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and obtained by the outlet, reveals that U.S. and Palestinian aid workers with GHF have been targeted by the Hamas-ordered bounties.
Founded in February, GHF is a joint U.S.-Israeli humanitarian aid initiative that replaces the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
According to the cable, the bounties threaten "Palestinian workers and the U.S. security contractors helping to protect the GHF distribution sites."
The cable was reportedly sent over the State Department's internal system shortly before Hamas carried out a terror attack on a food distribution point in Khan Younis in Gaza on Saturday, wounding two American workers.
The U.S. security contractors working at GHF sites are "are part of a group called SRS and made up of decorated veterans," according to the cable.
"Unfortunately, the U.N., NGOs, and various other countries that frequently and falsely rush to delegitimize Israel and/or GHF have not strongly condemned Hamas's malign actions against GHF staff, including Palestinians, nor the bounties for the murder of GHF workers and American security personnel," the cable read.
As negotiations over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continue, The Jerusalem Post reported Monday that aid distribution – specifically whether the U.S. and the Jewish state will return to a U.N.-approved system – is a sticking point.
The State Department cable serves as confirmation that the Palestinian terror group "made a recent demand that any ceasefire deal in Gaza must end GHF's operations and return to the prior process of distributing assistance in Gaza to Hamas' benefit."
But a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the proposal said that Hamas' demand will not be met.
"Hamas's insistence that GHF go away as part of a ceasefire serves to illustrate just how much of a threat it is to them," the official told the outlet. "The courageous work of the GHF will continue for as long as Gazans are in need of food. GHF is the only organization that has proven itself secure and effective."
Despite reportedly not having the formal backing of the U.N., GHF has delivered nearly 65 million meals since it was formed at the beginning of this year. UNRWA and other U.N. aid agencies, which have provided humanitarian assistance to Gaza for decades, have long faced criticism that they allow Hamas to intercept aid and resell it on the black market.
The senior U.S. official told the Free Beacon that the U.N. has essentially provided cover for Hamas to demand that the GHF shut down operations as a condition of any future ceasefire agreement.
"It's disgusting to see the U.N. echoing Hamas narratives," the American official said. "The U.N. and many in the mainstream media are nothing more than useful idiots for Hamas. Seeing their grift threatened, the U.N. would rather see food rot on trucks and in warehouses than cooperate with the only mechanism that is working: the GHF. It's shameful."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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