JERUSALEM, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military said on Tuesday that two food distribution compounds operated by private U.S. companies have begun functioning in southern Gaza, as part of an aid initiative that has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian organizations.
According to a military statement, the centers -- located in Tel al-Sultan near Rafah and in the Morag Corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis -- began operating on Tuesday and "are distributing food packages to thousands of families."
Video footage released by the military showed empty, fenced compounds surrounded by sand berms, with long tables set up for distribution.
A military map also indicated the establishment of two additional distribution centers -- one in Rafah and another in the Al Bureij area of central Gaza -- though no timeline was given for their activation.
The military said the building of the compounds was "facilitated by the Israeli political echelon and in coordination with the U.S. government. They would be run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private U.S.-based firm, and the unnamed American security firm. It said other unnamed international aid groups and foreign countries have been involved.
Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper identified the security contractor as Safe Reach Solutions, a U.S.-based logistics firm that has been accused by rights groups of blurring the lines between humanitarian aid and intelligence operations.
Israeli officials have described the project as a means of safeguarding civilians while continuing military operations to defeat Hamas. The country's Operation Gideon's Chariots, launched about a week and a half ago, includes the displacement of population from across Gaza to a narrow southern zone and seizing the entire enclave.
The initiative follows more than 11 weeks of an Israel blockade preventing humanitarian supplies from reaching the enclave. Limited aid shipments were allowed last week, after U.N. experts warned that famine was spreading.
The UN and several major humanitarian organizations have declined to participate in the operation, citing concerns that the arrangement politicizes aid delivery and violates humanitarian norms. ■
