Hamas is surveilling and preparing to attack American contractors working for the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to a source familiar with the group’s operations.
A senior Trump administration official confirmed that threats from Hamas against the contractors are a growing concern.
“While the GHF has so far provided upwards of 40 million meals, Hamas is threatening violence — this time to humanitarian workers, which includes Americans, at the GHF sites themselves,” the official told The Daily Wire.
Concerns about a potential Hamas attack come after Hamas assassinated around a dozen Palestinian GHF workers earlier this month while they were taking a bus to aid distribution sites ahead of their first day of work. Seriously injured survivors were reportedly denied treatment at Nasser Hospital, according to GHF.
The senior official warned that Hamas should “be careful not to miscalculate.”
“This administration remains laser focused on Gaza despite other events in the region,” the senior official added.
GHF has been tasked with implementing President Donald Trump’s Gaza aid initiative, designed to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches Gazan civilians while preventing Hamas from seizing supplies — a problem that has persisted since the war began following the group’s October 7, 2023 massacre. Since it began operating on May 26, GHF has delivered more than 43 million meals at its four distribution sites.
The sites, which have workers present around the clock, are staffed by Gazans distributing aid, along with American contractors who handle security. While the Israel Defense Forces are not directly involved in the operations, they remain stationed within half a mile to respond quickly in the event of an attack or security threat.
According to the sources, several suspicious men have routinely visited GHF’s distribution sites without taking food, and instead appear to be monitoring GHF workers and their security systems. The sources believe that the military-aged men are part of Hamas and enter the sites to “size up” GHF’s security, weapons, and fighting positions.
Hamas has recently issued threats against American contractors indirectly, using intermediaries including some of the Gazan workers. Sources say there is growing concern that Hamas could employ suicide bombing tactics to target both Gazans collecting food and the American contractors on site. Individuals entering the aid distribution centers are not subject to security screenings due to food urgency levels, and often come within meters of the American personnel.
The American security contractors do not have the authority to detain the suspicious men for questioning and do not share information with the IDF about the suspected Hamas members.
Hamas has routinely, publicly and privately threatened humanitarian workers at the site and people seeking aid, calling them “collaborators” coordinating in “the enemy’s schemes.”
“All collaborators, thieves, and criminal armed gangs are legitimate targets for the resistance units and security,” Hamas said in a joint statement with other Palestinian factions, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“Hamas views GHF as a threat to its control,” a source familiar with GHF’s operations said. “GHF’s secure delivery model prevents Hamas from diverting, taxing, or controlling aid. By delivering food directly to civilians without interference, GHF undermines Hamas’s grip over the population and its ability to weaponize aid for political leverage.”
According to the GHF, many Gazans who received aid during the organization’s first days in operation said it was the first time they had ever received humanitarian assistance for free — despite the large number of aid trucks entering the region during the conflict. Hamas has been documented seizing supplies from those convoys.
To date, the GHF says it has not encountered any major security incidents, and Hamas has not directly challenged the organization at its distribution sites. But sources say the threat to the American contractors remains serious.
The contractors, employed by UG Solutions, are armed, well-prepared, and highly-experienced, as most are former U.S. Special Forces personnel.
Hamas has also attempted to delegitimize the GHF during its final month of operations by using threats to discourage local partnerships and intimidating Gazans to keep them from collecting aid. Some non-profit organizations that had expressed interest in supporting the GHF have backed away due to the threats or chosen to keep their involvement undisclosed for safety reasons.
Following the execution of the Gazan workers, some remaining staff chose to leave the GHF out of fear for their own safety or that of their families. Others have continued working but remain extremely cautious, taking extra security precautions and avoiding Hamas-controlled areas whenever possible.
Additionally, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has worked to undermine the organization by vaguely referencing “aid distribution sites” in reports about violence occurring near United Nations facilities, creating confusion and suspicion about the safety of GHF sites.