Today's News: Gaza Power Vacuum, Ongoing Attacks, Fuel Humanitarian Crisis

25 western nations have condemned Israel’s aid delivery model and called for an immediate ceasefire, while Israel maintains Hamas is responsible for the suffering and aid disruptions.

Terrence Dorsey

Jul 21, 2025

Photo: Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

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Date: July 21, 2025
Topic: Escalating Humanitarian Crisis and Governance Vacuum in Gaza
Summary: Gaza is experiencing a severe and worsening humanitarian crisis, characterized by widespread hunger, rising malnutrition deaths, and civilian casualties at aid distribution points. A new Israeli- and U.S.-backed aid system, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is widely criticized by international bodies for its dangerous and chaotic operations. Twenty-five Western nations have condemned Israel’s aid delivery model and called for an immediate ceasefire, while Israel maintains Hamas is responsible for the suffering and aid disruptions. The lack of a clear postwar governance plan for Gaza is identified as a significant factor exacerbating the chaos.

Sources

Key Points

Worsening Humanitarian Crisis: All articles detail a severe hunger crisis, widespread malnutrition, and a rising death toll, particularly among children, due to lack of food and violence during aid distribution. The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that nearly one in three people in Gaza are not eating for days at a time.
Deadly Aid Distribution: There are consistent reports across sources of hundreds to over 1,000 Palestinians being killed or wounded while attempting to access humanitarian aid, often by Israeli forces firing “warning shots” or directly at crowds perceived as threats. Most casualties reportedly occurred near aid distribution sites.
Controversial Aid System (GHF): The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization, has largely replaced the U.N.-led aid system. It is widely criticized by international organizations and multiple governments for being dangerous, fueling instability, and operating from too few sites, leading to overcrowding and chaos.
International Condemnation: A joint statement from 25 Western nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, strongly condemns Israel’s aid delivery model as “dangerous” and “unacceptable,” demanding an immediate end to the war and compliance with international humanitarian law.
Israel’s Stance and Blame on Hamas: Israel rejects international criticism, stating that its aid efforts comply with international law and that Hamas is solely responsible for the continuation of the war, the suffering, and the diversion of aid. Israel claims the GHF system is necessary to prevent Hamas from stealing supplies.
Governance Vacuum: A core issue identified is Israel’s failure to plan for a post-Hamas governance structure in Gaza, leading to widespread lawlessness, anarchy, and hindering effective aid distribution and efforts to defeat Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly resisted empowering Palestinian alternatives like the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas’s Financial Strain: Hamas is facing its worst financial and administrative crisis, struggling to pay fighters and provide services, as its revenue streams from commercial shipments and aid diversion have reportedly dried up due to Israeli actions and the GHF’s operations.

Unique Highlights

The New York Times: Provides a detailed analysis linking Israel’s long-standing failure to plan for Gaza’s postwar governance directly to the current anarchy and aid crisis. It includes quotes from an Israeli expert (Shira Efron) and a former Israeli prime minister (Ehud Olmert) questioning whether the chaos is intentional. It also details the shift from hundreds of U.N. distribution sites to a handful of GHF locations.
CNN: Explicitly lists all 25 Western nations that signed the joint statement condemning Israel’s aid model. It also provides specific details on ongoing ceasefire negotiations, mentioning U.S. pressure on Hamas and prior Israeli “intransigence” over troop withdrawal maps.
NBC News: Focuses heavily on the dire malnutrition crisis, citing specific numbers of children dying (at least two at Al-Shifa Hospital on Saturday alone, 19 in 24 hours) and World Health Organization data (over 50 children since the March blockade). It describes a specific incident where a World Food Programme convoy came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers, and other gunfire, which appeared separate from GHF distribution.
Fox News: Presents an angle suggesting the GHF’s success is undercutting Hamas’s ability to control the population through aid, viewing the GHF as a positive development in weakening Hamas’s “iron grip.” It quotes Joe Truzman from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Hamas’s use of social welfare programs for control and the U.N.’s “anti-Israel stance” regarding GHF criticism.
The Washington Post: Offers an in-depth look into Hamas’s financial and administrative crisis, detailing how the group previously profited from taxing commercial shipments and seizing humanitarian goods. It includes accounts from Gazan contractors and officials on Hamas’s methods of extortion and the declining popularity of the group due to its repressive tactics.
The Wall Street Journal: Provides a vivid, firsthand account of the chaotic scenes at a GHF aid site witnessed by a reporter, detailing the crowd surges, snatching of food, and gunshots. It elaborates on the design flaws of the GHF system, such as reliance on the Israeli military for security and insufficient sites, and includes quotes from Israeli soldiers on their rules of engagement regarding firing at crowds.
BBC: Reports on the joint statement by the UK and 27 other nations, detailing their call for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” and the possibility of “further action,” interpreted by some as recognizing a state of Palestine. It also provides a direct quote from a spokesperson for al-Aqsa hospital on the inability to provide food or milk for patients and staff.
El País: Specifically points out that the United States and Germany did not sign the joint statement from the 25 countries. It also reports on Israel’s intensifying ground operation in Deir al-Balah, stating it’s the first time Israeli troops have entered this urban area by land, leading to forced displacement orders affecting 87.8% of the Strip’s territory.

Contrasting Details

Aid Diversion by Hamas:
- The Washington Post states that the United Nations, the European Commission, and major international aid organizations have “no evidence” that Hamas has systematically stolen their aid, and Israel has not provided public proof. The World Food Programme’s Deputy Executive Director said systematic aid diversion by Hamas “has not been an issue for us so far.”
- Conversely, Fox News and The Wall Street Journal emphasize Israel’s stated rationale for the GHF system is to prevent Hamas from diverting aid, with Fox News quoting an analyst saying GHF is “undercutting Hamas or keeping Hamas out of the loop.”
- The Washington Post also reports that Israeli officials claim Hamas seized a percentage of goods and aid vouchers, and an Egyptian official stated, “Hamas is trying to use the aid to survive. It’s happening.”
Casualty Figures and Responsibility:
- CNN, NBC News, BBC, and El País cite the Palestinian health ministry or U.N. human rights office figures of hundreds to over 1,000 people killed while seeking aid since late May.
- The Wall Street Journal states that the Israeli military acknowledges opening fire but disputes the figures reported by Gazan authorities, saying they are “inflated.” The BBC also notes Israel disputes the numbers killed in specific incidents.
GHF Effectiveness and U.N. Cooperation:
- Fox News portrays GHF as successful in delivering aid and weakening Hamas’s control, with GHF’s Executive Director claiming his organization “helped get the U.N. reauthorized.”
- In contrast, The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and El País highlight widespread criticism of the GHF system by the U.N. and other humanitarian organizations, citing it as unsafe, chaotic, ineffective, and violating humanitarian principles of impartiality. The U.N. and partners have largely refused to cooperate with it.
- The BBC also reports a GHF spokesperson blaming U.N. agencies for “stopping” work and failing to deliver supplies, claiming to have seen aid “rotting” at border crossings. The U.N., in turn, attributes its difficulties to ongoing hostilities, Israeli restrictions, and fuel shortages.
U.S. and Germany Stance on Joint Statement:
- CNN and BBC list the 25 or 27 nations (including the European Union’s commissioner) that signed the joint statement condemning Israel’s aid model.
- El País explicitly points out that the United States and Germany did not sign the statement.

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