GAZA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army has dismantled humanitarian aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip operated by a U.S.-backed organization following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Palestinian sources said on Sunday.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the move targeted facilities run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American non-governmental group set up in May with U.S. funding and under Israeli military supervision to deliver aid in Gaza.
The foundation was created as an alternative to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other international organizations amid Israeli accusations that Hamas diverted aid for military purposes. Four main centers were established in central and southern Gaza, surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by armed personnel, the sources said.
The centers had drawn public anger among Palestinians, who described them as unsafe following repeated incidents during aid distributions. Hamas's media office said more than 2,500 people were killed and over 18,000 injured in crowding and shooting incidents since the foundation's launch. The figures could not be independently verified.
The sources said the dismantling took place overnight without prior notice, including at sites near the Israeli Netzarim checkpoint.
The Israeli military and government have not commented, though Israel's Army Radio reported that "the American distribution center project ended without an official announcement."
The move comes as international mediators push to restore aid flows to Gaza after two years of war that left most of the enclave's 2.3 million people dependent on assistance.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Friday following three days of talks in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States. ■
