The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) temporarily suspended women-only food distributions Thursday after what the organization described as a credible terror threat that Hamas operatives planned to rush and infiltrate a U.S.-backed aid site.
GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay told Fox News Digital the group had served about 4,000 of roughly 5,500 assembled Palestinian women when military-aged males began gathering nearby and to his organization posed a threat to operations. "At first, small numbers of men appeared to survey the GHF site. Those men began making phone calls, and the group grew to a strength of several hundred," he said, adding that local sources reported plans to "rush the site" and that operatives intended to enter distributions dressed as women.
As a result, GHF called off women-only distributions across all its distribution sites on Friday. Fay said the decision was forced by the threat and that the disruption endangered and intimidated the very people the group seeks to help. "It's not just threatening us. They're threatening their own people. The women of Gaza who are simply trying to feed their children are being intimidated and endangered by the very group that claims to represent them. This is deliberate. This is strategic. And this is cruel," he said.
Fay accused Hamas of spreading false information aimed at creating fear and disorder, saying operatives told people that Secure Distribution Site Three would be closed next week. He said GHF could not determine whether the rumors signaled an imminent attack or were intended to drive people away from the site.
GHF said the threat followed earlier attacks on its staff. In July, two GHF veterans were assaulted with grenades the organization said were of Iranian origin, a weaponry type commonly used by Hamas, while delivering aid. Fay also said the Israel Defense Forces' offensive in Gaza City has increased pressure on distribution sites and driven higher demand: GHF reported a 15%–20% rise in foot traffic in recent days as new recipients unfamiliar with distribution procedures arrived.
The suspension comes amid broader problems delivering aid into Gaza. The U.N. Office for Project Services has reported that 5,511 aid trucks sent into Gaza have been intercepted since May 19, and only 938 trucks, or roughly 14.5%, reached their intended destinations in that period. GHF said it has distributed more than 161 million meals since starting operations in May, including about 1 million on the day of the reported threat.
GHF called on international organizations and the United Nations to partner with the foundation to ensure food reaches civilians rather than armed groups. "We want food to reach the people, not Hamas," Fay said, urging broader cooperation to secure distributions.
The pause in women-only distributions highlights the difficulty of delivering large-scale aid in an environment where armed groups operate and where shifting security dynamics can abruptly halt humanitarian operations. GHF said it will continue to monitor security conditions and coordinate with local sources, while appealing to international partners to help stabilize and protect civilian aid deliveries.