American group distributing aid in Gaza delays reopening sites

A private company distributing aid in Gaza, backed by the U.S. and Israel, had yet to reopen its distribution sites in the enclave by mid-morning on Thursday, a day after shutting them following a series of deadly shootings close to its operations.

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The U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said that its sites would not open at their usual time due to maintenance and repair work. It did not say when aid distribution would resume. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. A Palestinian father of four in Gaza's Khan Younis, who asked not to be identified over safety concerns, told Reuters the GHF site near Rafah in southern Gaza had not reopened by mid-morning. The group, which has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations, began distributing aid last week.

The U.N. has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave. Meanwhile, Israel announced it had recovered the bodies of two dual nationality Israeli-American hostages from Gaza. Gadi Hagi and his wife Judy Weinstein-Hagi were killed and taken to Gaza after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war. Fifty-six hostages remain in captivity, with fewer than half believed to be alive.