Noem Meets Netanyahu as Head of US-Backed Gaza Aid Foundation Quits

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 25, as the head of a Washington-backed foundation set to distribute aid in Gaza through an Israeli-initiated plan resigned.

Netanyahu’s office posted a photo on social media platform X of his meeting with Noem, saying she “expressed unwavering support” for the prime minister and Israel.

In another X post, the prime minister’s office said Noem “also expressed great appreciation for the Prime Minister’s policy of building a fence along the Egyptian border and for his conduct of the war.”

Noem has not yet commented on her visit to Israel, which came at the end of a brief tour of the Middle East that included a stop in Bahrain, where she rode a camel and piloted a fast patrol boat in the Persian Gulf.

On May 25 on X, she posted images of herself with members of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Patrol Forces Southwest Asia in Bahrain and wrote, “Grateful for their service to keep the homeland safe.”

The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was created earlier this year as part of an Israeli-initiated plan to deliver aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza without interference from Hamas, which Israel accuses of stealing aid and selling it to finance its military operations.

On May 25, Jake Wood, executive director of the GHF, resigned, saying it was clear that the plan could not be implemented while adhering “to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.”

Wood, a former U.S. Marine sniper who was appointed to the role two months ago, did not give further details.

The GHF’s board put out a statement saying it was “disappointed” that Wood had chosen to resign. However, it added: “We will not be deterred. Our trucks are loaded and ready to go.”

The Switzerland-based foundation said it plans “to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead.”

In a video statement on May 22, Netanyahu said he had consulted with Israel’s American allies regarding what to do “to prevent Hamas from looting the aid” and that together, they had “devised a mechanism to achieve this goal.”

“American companies will distribute the food directly to Palestinian families. They’ll do so in safe zones secured by our military. And this will allow us to complete our goal of destroying Hamas while enabling aid to reach the civilian population,” Netanyahu said.

Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea told the U.N. Security Council on May 13 that Washington was working with Israel to enable the GHF to start work in the territory by the end of the month.

“The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is an independent entity that has been established to provide a secure mechanism capable of delivering aid directly to those in need without Hamas stealing, looting, or leveraging this assistance for its own ends,” Shea said.

“Safeguards are in place to ensure Palestinian civilians in Gaza will have access to aid, preventing diversion by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and criminal organizations—and ensuring Israel can remain secure.”

The U.N. opposes the Israeli plan, which Netanyahu said last week involves moving the Palestinian population to special distribution zones “for their own safety.”

On May 19, the U.N.’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said, “The limited quantities of aid now being allowed into Gaza are of course no substitute for unimpeded access to civilians in such dire need.”

U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “firmly rejects any forced displacement of the Palestinian population.”

On May 26, Israel continued its airstrikes against what it said are Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Fahmy Awad, head of the Hamas-controlled health ministry’s emergency service, said 52 people were killed on May 26, including 36 civilians sleeping in a converted school in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City.

The conflict in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists crossed the border into Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages into the strip of territory they controlled.

A cease-fire was agreed to in January, and several hostages were handed over in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but it ended on March 1.

Israel says Hamas is still holding 58 hostages, although only 23 of them are believed to be alive.

Netanyahu has promised to destroy Hamas once and for all. On May 22, he accused the leaders of the UK, Canada, and France of being “on the wrong side of history” after they issued a joint statement on May 19 calling for an end to Israel’s latest offensive.

“We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable,” the leaders said in the joint statement. “We condemn the abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli Government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate. Permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law.”

The leaders also called for Hamas to “release immediately the remaining hostages they have so cruelly held since 7 October 2023.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.