The newly appointed chair of the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, said there is no indication the IDF is violating international law, amid growing scrutiny over the conduct of military operations in the Gaza Strip.
“We have seen no indication that the IDF is failing to comply with international law or its obligations,” Moore told Ynet in an interview Monday evening. Moore, an Evangelical leader and longtime advocate for religious freedom, was recently named head of the foundation, which has expanded its operations in Gaza in recent months.
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Palestinians collecting supply parcels at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution center in Rafah, southern Gaza
(Photo: AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
“The IDF faces an incredibly difficult challenge, and I do not wish to pass judgment—especially considering Hamas is a terrorist organization that violates all international norms and hides behind civilians,” Moore said.
His remarks come in response to reports that hundreds of Palestinians have died at or near the foundation’s four aid distribution centers in Gaza—some allegedly shot by Israeli forces or armed terrorists, others trampled in chaotic surges for food. The GHF has faced criticism over alleged disorder in its aid distribution, with claims that supplies are seized by the strongest individuals and later resold at exorbitant prices.
Moore dismissed these reports as propaganda and warned against spreading misinformation that could discourage civilians from seeking life-saving aid. “Spreading false information deters people from receiving help,” he said.
He further accused the United Nations and international agencies operating in Gaza of obstructing the foundation’s efforts for political reasons. “The UN and international organizations in Gaza are undermining the foundation’s work and playing politics with the lives of Gazans,” Moore said, alleging a refusal to cooperate with GHF on the ground.
GHF Chairman Rev. Dr. Johnnie MooreWhat do you say to claims that your aid centers have become death traps?
“Lies, all lies. This is Hamas disinformation, whitewashed by friendly voices in the media and international organizations. The fact is that for the past two months, the foundation has been the only consistent source of food distribution in Gaza; 100 million meals provided to 800,000 Gazans. The entire story was fabricated by Hamas and amplified by sympathetic individuals in the mainstream press and international bodies. Instead of working with us to reach more people, they chose not only to boycott us but to sabotage our work.
“We’re surviving and growing. Today we distributed more food. Despite all the challenges, this is a historic success, and you can’t imagine what Gaza would look like without GHF.”
Is there any truth to the UN and Hamas claims that 1,000 people have been killed near your distribution centers?
“That figure is fake. Hamas uses a tactic of lumping together civilians and terrorists when reporting casualties. They just release a number and attribute all of it to us. We are operating in an active warzone. They blame us for every death in Gaza. Not a single person has been shot inside our aid centers. And when people have been hurt nearby, usually one to two kilometers away, we reported it officially. What hasn't been reported officially are the hundreds killed near UN facilities or by Hamas, who then blamed it on GHF or the IDF.”
In recent days, Israel has effectively begun “flooding” Gaza with humanitarian aid, both through traditional UN channels and airdrops, despite claims that the supplies end up with Hamas. Moore now asserts that in the past 24 hours alone, since the UN aid mechanism resumed full-scale operations, “more Gazans were harmed than during our entire two months of work.”
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A Palestinian man carries boxes of humanitarian aid at a distribution site in Gaza, June 8, 2025
(Photo: Gaza Humanitarian Foundation)
“I’m not saying this as a criticism of the UN, but as an indication of how severe the situation is," he continued. "We don’t want to criticize the UN—we want to work with them. We never intended to replace any international agency.”
Israel had barred the UN from distributing aid for several months until GHF began its operations. According to the government and military, the ban was meant to prevent supplies from falling into Hamas’ hands. “Hamas regularly stole entire truckloads of food from the international community," Moore added. "We’ve proven it’s possible to distribute food directly to people without the terror group stealing it.”
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How can you guarantee that Hamas members aren’t receiving food at your distribution centers?
“Just look at the scenes at the UN distribution centers. It’s chaos. We designed our system specifically to address the core problem of food theft and hijacked aid convoys entering Gaza. That’s where Hamas managed to steal food, resell it or use it to recruit fighters. They use various tactics to prolong the war. Our goal was to tackle that issue. Not a single truck of ours has been stolen. We have local Gazan aid workers who know exactly whom they’re serving—and they know we don’t distribute food to Hamas members.”
Why aren’t more aid centers being opened?
“There was never an expectation that GHF would replace all humanitarian actors in Gaza. We exist to accelerate the effort. GHF was designed to deliver hundreds of thousands of food boxes daily. It’s a different model than the UN’s, which operates hundreds of small distribution sites. Our objective is to flood Gaza with food to address food insecurity. Over the past few weeks, we’ve successfully built a distribution system through local partners to deliver aid directly. That’s our goal—and it’s working very well.”
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Palestinians gather around a humanitarian aid distribution point in Gaza as workers attempt to manage the crowd, May 31, 2025
How do you respond to the claim from a former special forces operative who worked with your foundation, alleging that IDF troops shot and massacred Gazans coming to the aid centers?
“That’s a personal matter, and I’m limited in what I can say. This is not a credible individual, and these are not credible accusations. I’m more than confident we have a great deal of evidence to refute them.”
Is the Israeli government contributing financially to your efforts? And who are your funders?
“I’m not aware of any money coming from Israel. We need more resources, and we expect the United States and other countries, including European nations, to join the effort and contribute. One of the reasons we haven’t opened additional distribution sites is because that requires more resources. There’s still much we could do, but the problem lies with the UN and international organizations, which act as if they’re humanitarian but behave like politicians.
“We’ve seen UN personnel help launder Hamas’ disinformation campaign. Instead of ensuring food is delivered to Gaza’s residents, the UN attacks us and talks about insecurity—yet they have hundreds of trucks inside Gaza that they haven’t even moved. It’s an international scandal. There are 950 trucks in Gaza that the UN refuses to distribute, while outrageously continuing to talk about food insecurity. We offered to distribute that food on their behalf, and they refused. I don’t know why. I believe they played politics with human lives, right in the middle of the hostage deal negotiations.”