Gaza War | Orchestrated Chaos in the Gaza Strip

The number is shocking: A team of international scientists and the independent think tank "Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research" estimates the number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began at more than 75,000, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz." More than half of these are children, women, and young people, totaling almost four percent of the total population – more than in other conflicts of recent decades.

The distribution centers of an organization called the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" (GHF) are currently in particular focus: There are repeated reports of Israeli soldiers opening fire on Palestinians seeking aid there. "There is absolute chaos there," reports Abdullah Schweiki, a native of Gaza City who ran a hotel until the war began. Today he is unemployed, "and even if I had money, there isn't really anything I could buy." The people are completely dependent on aid supplies.

Israel has sidelined UNRWA

And they are now coming even less frequently than they already have since the war began in October 2023. The reason: Israel's government accuses UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees founded in 1949, of being infiltrated by Hamas; UNRWA staff were allegedly involved in the massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Therefore, the Israeli government has banned the authorities from contacting UNRWA; the US, as the largest donor, has suspended payments. The result: a gap of 200 million US dollars, while 60 million US dollars are needed for wages alone, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini calculated last week during a visit to Berlin. The German government is currently the largest remaining donor.

The GHF, on the other hand, is a rather ominous organization: In February 2025, it was registered in the US state of Delaware – and in Geneva, Switzerland, where it has since ceased its activities. There is no information about who finances it. According to the news portal "Times of Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in mid-June that the organization originated from an Israeli initiative.

Proximity to US power circles

However, GHF's ​​entourage also includes individuals directly or indirectly affiliated with the US foreign intelligence agency CIA, as well as people close to US President Donald Trump. Since June 3, GHF has been headed by evangelical businessman Johnnie Moore Jr. , a Trump supporter. His predecessor resigned because he did not believe he could implement the organization's goals while simultaneously guaranteeing adherence to humanitarian principles. The four GHF distribution centers in the Gaza Strip are guarded by employees of private security firms based in the US.

"Netanyahu is a threat to national security."

Jair Golan, head of the Democratic Party

Since work began on May 27, human rights organizations say up to 500 people have been shot dead . At the end of June, Haaretz reported that soldiers had received orders to open fire to keep Palestinians away from the aid centers. The military prosecutor's office has now reportedly launched an investigation. Schweiki says by phone that the distribution center employees are completely overwhelmed by the situation: Many don't even speak Arabic. Most clearly have no experience distributing aid.

The enemy of the enemy is Israel's friend

However, the distribution centers have also been targeted several times by Hamas's armed wing: In mid-June, a bus came under fire, killing twelve people. According to Hamas, the victims belonged to a militia hostile to Hamas, led by Yasser Abu Shahab, who is linked by Egyptian authorities and the Palestinian Authority to drug trafficking and the "Islamic State."

At the end of May, Israeli media first reported that Israel's military was arming militias like Shahab's. Shortly thereafter, Netanyahu declared in an online video: "On the advice of the security services, we have activated clans that oppose Hamas. What's wrong with that?" Like many others, Yair Golan, leader of the left-liberal Democrats party and a former major general, reacted in shock: "Netanyahu is a threat to national security," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Yet Israel's right-wing conservative government appears to be sticking to this plan.

What comes after the war?

What is completely missing in all of this is any kind of vision for the future: Negotiations for a ceasefire continue in the background, although this part of the war has also taken a peculiar turn in recent days. US President Trump publicly demanded that the corruption trials against Netanyahu be dropped: "It is INSANE what the out-of-control prosecutors are doing to Bibi Netanyahu," he wrote to X, whereupon Netanyahu thanked him. Shortly thereafter, Trump directly linked US aid to the corruption trials that have been ongoing since 2019. This naturally delighted Netanyahu's party colleagues. However, when Netanyahu's government once attempted to restructure the judiciary, hundreds of thousands took to the streets for many weeks. The reform then largely disappeared into the drawer. Now Trump's demand is primarily viewed as an "attempt at bribery," according to a commentator on public radio: Trading a ceasefire for charges, the assumption is made.

But even after peace, the end of the suffering will still be far away: Most of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed. Most importantly, the point may soon be reached where the water will become completely undrinkable . Even before the war began, WHO estimates indicated that only around four percent of the water was uncontaminated.