Gazan aid group inaugurates reservations system for food distribution

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will set aside aid boxes for those who register in advance, making the process easier and more orderly.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced Monday that it has inaugurated a reservations system for food distribution in the Gaza Strip to make the collection process easier and safer.

Although Gazans are supposed to stand in line in an orderly way at the aid compounds, the sites often descend into chaos as the younger and stronger civilians push people out of the way or threaten them so they can get to the head of the line.

People also often congregate outside the compounds the night before a delivery is scheduled to arrive, as it is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

GHF has already tried to help by blocking off certain days just for women, and the pilot program includes this idea as well.

The system, which began operating Sunday at one of GHF’s four sites with 350 registrants, is entirely voluntary.

Those who participate receive uniquely numbered, photo IDs with the option to fill out their profile online, which can include the number of people in their family.

A food parcel of the right size is then reserved for them and participants are informed when they can come to receive the food without wasting time standing in line or fearing that the aid will run out.

The new system also enables GHF to send out updates and notifications of special deliveries.

GHF emphasized that the computerized data on the participants is not shared with anyone else, which could add to their feeling of security.

Hamas considers it a betrayal for people to get help from the private group, which has prevented the terrorist organization from stealing its trucked-in goods, unlike veteran international organizations such as the UN.

Last week, the United Nations noted that only 8.5% of the aid it has brought into Gaza in the two-week period between July 27 and Aug. 10 had actually reached its proper destinations, with its trucks either being looted on the way or hijacked with their loads intact.

The terrorist organization has both warned residents not to go to the aid sites and had their men shoot several times into the crowds to frighten them away.

Hamas then claimed that the IDF soldiers who protect the areas’ perimeters had killed and wounded dozens of innocents, which gained them another “win,” since Israel was roundly criticized when global media rushed to parrot the Hamas charges.

“It has always been our plan to offer a way for families to reserve aid in advance and guarantee access, just as other aid organizations do,” GHF Executive Director John Acree said in a statement.

“Until now, however, conditions on the ground have made implementation of such a program impossible. But with more aid flowing into Gaza and GHF’s deliveries helping stabilize food availability, conditions are improving,” he continued.

“We are proud to take this step to deliver on the requests of the community and make distributions easier and more reliable for the people we serve.”

Those who do not register for the new system will still be able to receive aid on the usual first-come, first-served basis, GHF noted.

The American- and Israeli-backed group, which started operating in Gaza only three months ago, has four sites so far in the Strip where its staff has given out more than 2 million boxes, containing over 125 million meals.

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