Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas on Saturday for a grenade attack that injured two American aid workers employed by the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and condemned the incident as a “terror attack.”
The US also blamed Hamas for the attack, saying it “lays bare the depravity” of the terror organization.
Early Saturday, GHF reported that two American aid workers were wounded when assailants threw two hand grenades at a distribution site in southern Gaza, blaming the attack on “hostile action by Hamas.” The organization said the explosive devices had been packed with ball bearings.
The IDF later confirmed that terror operatives threw grenades at a distribution center in Rafah, accusing “terror groups in Gaza” of continuing to sabotage humanitarian efforts, though without naming Hamas directly.
Civilians were still present in the area at the time of the attack, the Israeli military said, condemning the attack.
Netanyahu said later Saturday, in a statement from his office, that he wished to extend “a speedy recovery to the staff of the American aid foundation who were injured today in the terror attack carried out by Hamas terrorists.”
Netanyahu praised the GHF staff, saying they were “doing important work, and I thank them and [US] President [Donald] Trump for their support.”
He added: “The entire world must stand up and condemn this grave incident, which once again exposes the brutality of Hamas. The United Nations must stop opposing the foundation’s operations and instead work in partnership to ensure it can continue its mission safely for the benefit of Gaza’s residents.”
The GHF said in a statement that “the attack – which preliminary information indicates was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans – occurred at the conclusion of an otherwise successful distribution in which thousands of Gazans safely received food.”
The foundation has previously accused Hamas of killing at least eight of the agency’s Palestinian staffers.
Reacting to the alleged Hamas attack, US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Saturday that, “This act of violence against the people actually bringing relief to Gazans lays bare the depravity of Hamas.”
“GHF has contributed over 62 MILLION MEALS – nothing will stop these courageous aid workers,” she wrote on X. “We are praying for the rapid recovery of the injured Americans.”
Israel has accused Hamas of hijacking aid deliveries by other humanitarian groups. The GHF, which in addition to aid workers employs private US military contractors to protect its distribution sites, says that since starting operations in May it has delivered supplies to Palestinians, while other humanitarian groups had “nearly all of their aid looted.”
The GHF bypasses traditional aid channels, including the United Nations, which says the US-based organization is neither impartial nor neutral, and forces Gazans to walk long distances to reach the aid.
The UN Human Rights Office said Friday more than 500 people had been killed in the vicinity of the GHF sites since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza in May.
Israel has accused Hamas of attacking Gazan aid seekers and falsifying death tolls but has also acknowledged that Palestinian civilians have been killed near GHF aid distribution sites. The IDF says troops have been issued new instructions following what it called “lessons learned.”