Samaritan’s Purse, the international relief group led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, is taking on a larger role in getting aid into Gaza as the region struggles to stabilize under a fragile ceasefire. Graham said the plans are still developing. “I don’t have all the specifics,” he told Religion News Service. “We’re talking with people, trying to figure out what makes the most sense.”
The organization on Saturday initiated its 767 cargo aircraft, carrying 290,000 packets of vitamin-fortified food, thousands of blankets and solar lights for women and children. It was the humanitarian ministry’s latest aid mission to the war-torn region.
Part of the shift comes as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – the U.S.- and Israeli-backed group that had been distributing aid since March – winds down. “It’s being folded,” Graham said. Its operations were paused as part of the ceasefire agreement.
GHF’s short life was rocky. European nations were openly critical of the operation, and some UN officials accused it of undermining the long-standing neutrality of humanitarian work. France’s foreign minister even described, without evidence, the GHF model as “a scandal” and “shameful,” pointing to several chaotic aid-distribution scenes that turned violent when aid seekers were killed for rushing security forces. But the reports rely on unverifiable sources controlled by Hamas, which has every incentive to smear independent aid efforts.
At the same time, accusations swirled for months that Hamas had been stealing or diverting aid inside Gaza. The claims were backed up by social media posts by Gaza citizens as well as aerial surveillance. None-the-less, the UN and some European nations continued to deny the claims, contrary to first-hand reports and video evidence.
As Israel continues its withdrawal from the strip, under the agreed-upon truce, many thought the lack of war conditions would bring stability.
None of that means Gaza is safe or stable. Recent videos verified by multiple news outlets show masked gunmen – believed to be tied to Hamas – executing several men in public squares. In one clip authenticated by ABC News, the victims are kneeling, blindfolded, and handcuffed before gunmen shoot them while a crowd watches. The UN office in Palestine called the killings “extrajudicial executions” and warned that law and order in Gaza continues to erode.
Against that backdrop, Samaritans’ Purse is trying to navigate a humanitarian landscape where political pressure, armed factions, and UN bureaucracy all collide. Graham said the group is willing to coordinate with anyone, but he didn’t mince words about the UN’s process. “If we have to, we can work with anybody,” he said. “But they have such a bureaucratic organization. It really slows you down. We don’t like to be tethered to incompetence.”
He confirmed all the Gaza aid Samaritans’ Purse has sent so far was privately funded, though he didn’t rule out accepting government money in the future. The group is also exploring whether it could build a field hospital inside Gaza, similar to the emergency facilities it has previously deployed to Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar.
For now, the ceasefire remains shaky. Aid trickled in for a few days after the agreement was signed, but restrictions tightened again as fighting flared along parts of the enclave. GHF says it has been told to “remain ready” to resume if circumstances change, though few expect the group to survive politically. That leaves a vacuum, and Graham’s organization is moving toward it – cautiously, he insists, but determined to help.
–Dwight Widaman
