Satellite imagery appears to show construction of new aid distribution sites in Gaza
The images show ongoing construction in three areas surrounding Rafah.
Satellite images appear to show the construction of three large aid distribution sites in southern Gaza, amid reports about a controversial new United States-backed plan to bring more humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The images show ongoing construction in three areas surrounding Rafah, Gaza, since the beginning of April.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged new aid distribution points will be operated by “American companies” and “secured by the IDF,” in public remarks on Wednesday. The distribution points will open in the “coming days,” as phase B of the new aid distribution plan developed with the U.S., Netanyahu said.
“In order to prevent Hamas from being able to take control of humanitarian aid, we developed another plan together with the United States — a plan to distribute basic food to civilians and children, which will not reach Hamas. And it is divided into three phases,” Netanyahu said Wednesday, translated from Hebrew.
In phase A, basic food entered Gaza. Eighty-seven trucks carrying various forms of aid have since entered, the Gaza Government Media Office said Wednesday. This is the first time trucks with new aid have entered the Gaza Strip in 11 weeks.
In phase B, the aid will, in theory, be distributed at these aid distribution points, operated by American companies, but with some coordination from the Israel Defense Forces, Netanyahu said. Netanyahu insists this is necessary to prevent Hamas from looting the aid entering the strip or selling it to people in Gaza at a higher inflated price.
The satellite images — analyzed by ABC News — are consistent with recent remarks by Jake Wood, director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), who recently told CNN that his group had planned to launch three new aid distribution sites in southern Gaza, along with another in central Gaza. The proposed location of the central Gaza site was not immediately clear.
According to a memo from GHF shared by Israeli media outlets, aid distribution centers and logistics routes would be secured by private security guards, while the IDF would not be involved in distributing the aid.
The U.S. State Department and the government of Israel have come out in support of the GHF plan, but it has faced criticism from established aid organizations, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, the main UN agency operating inside of Gaza.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a social media post on May 17 that “new plans” for aid in Gaza were a waste of resources. UNRWA was banned from operating on Israeli territory in January over claims it works alongside Hamas, which it has denied.
The plan has also faced criticism, including from UNICEF, on the grounds that distributing most aid in the south of Gaza would displace more residents of the north of Gaza.
An Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson acknowledged the current Israeli operation in Gaza, called “Gideon’s Chariots,” will displace “most of the population,” in comments after the IDF announced the outline of the operation on May 5.
A United Nations spokesperson said on May 15 that the U.N. will not participate in the GHF’s operation because it is not impartial, neutral, or independent.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said Israel will not work inside the GHF’s aid sites and called on the U.N. to participate in the plan.
Wood did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment or confirmation that the three sites seen in satellite images were set for use by the GHF.
Shown a satellite image of the likely aid construction sites, UNRWA Communications Director Juliette Touma directed ABC News to Lazzarini’s statement criticizing the plan.
Andreas Krieg, a lecturer in defense studies at King’s College London, reviewed the images of the likely aid sites for ABC News and said that while it was difficult to assess the sites’ intended role, the design of the sites suggested a dual humanitarian and military use.
“The embankments currently under construction resemble military fortifications more than humanitarian infrastructure. Their design suggests potential dual use: they could serve as forward operating bases (FOBs), temporary strongpoints, or merely elevated watch towers. Without clarity on their scale and internal structure, it remains difficult to assess their intended role,” Krieg said.
“Their location means they will not be accessible to many displaced civilians in Gaza,” he added.
The private intelligence firm Maiar told ABC News that its analysts did not see obvious signs of militarization at the likely aid sites.
“While the construction sites are well ordered, there are no signs of armored fighting vehicles, defensive emplacements, or checkpoints/roadblocks within the immediate vicinity of the 3 sites,” Maiar told ABC News.
“There are IDF related compounds close to the sites, but no obvious interactions seen between them,” the firm’s analysts said.
The IDF and Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), an Israeli agency that coordinates aid to Gaza, did not immediately return requests for comment.
