In mid-2025, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began a coordinated media tour across the United States. The campaign has included visits to evangelical churches, conservative news outlets, and donor events. Johnnie Moore Jr., long associated with Liberty University and serving as executive chair of GHF, has been a primary spokesperson for the initiative.
The stated goal of the media campaign is to raise support for humanitarian relief operations in Gaza. However, the distribution of aid by GHF has been accompanied by significant violence. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported on July 22 that at least 766 people have been killed in the vicinity of GHF distribution sites. The Gaza Health Ministry stated on July 1 that approximately 70% of all aid-related deaths have occurred at or near these sites.
The OHCHR, along with Gaza officials and eyewitnesses, has attributed many of these deaths to Israeli military forces. Additionally, U.S. contractors working with GHF have been documented shooting Palestinian civilians at distribution points. Former GHF personnel have described a workplace environment with minimal oversight and a culture that devalues the people receiving aid.
On July 16, a crowd crush at a GHF site resulted in additional fatalities. Gaza authorities and witnesses have assigned responsibility to both GHF staff and the Israeli military, while GHF has claimed that the incident was caused by Hamas.
Doctors Without Borders has described the situation around GHF aid sites as “slaughter masquerading as aid.” The Center for Constitutional Rights, along with 14 other human rights organizations, issued a joint statement warning that GHF could be implicated in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide under international law.
Despite the severity of these incidents, GHF and the Israeli Defense Forces have consistently denied that their actions have caused civilian deaths. Both organizations assert that only warning shots were used. GHF has acknowledged one deadly incident—referring to the July 16 crowd crush—but disputes the account provided by Gaza officials.
GHF was established in early 2025 with backing from U.S. political donors and coordination with the Israeli military. Independent oversight of the organization's activities in Gaza has been limited.
The Higher Education Inquirer began investigating GHF and its leadership in the context of broader inquiries into the political influence of Christian universities. For years, HEI has investigated the intersection of higher education, foreign policy, and private contractors. We continue this work because few others are doing so.
Sources:
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UN OHCHR Situation Reports, July 2025
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Gaza Health Ministry Statements, July 2025
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Doctors Without Borders Press Release, July 2025
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Center for Constitutional Rights, Joint Statement, July 2025
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Witness statements documented by international and local media
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Gaza Humanitarian Foundation press briefings
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Higher Education Inquirer archives, 2016–2025
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