EXCLUSIVE – Facing accusations that its distribution approach compels civilians to travel extensive distances and navigate military areas, the U.S.-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) revealed a new plan on Wednesday. This initiative is designed to enhance security measures, ensuring food aid reaches needy Gazans directly, without obstruction or seizure by Hamas.

The updated procedure allows community leaders to reach out to GHF or one of its partnered NGOs to organize local aid distribution. A GHF team will evaluate the leader, assess their needs, and facilitate the initial food aid allocation. Residents will collect boxes at a specified location, and GHF will confirm that the aid reaches the individuals identified by the community leader.

John Acree, GHF’s interim Executive Director, told Fox News Digital, “We cannot continue operating in the same way as before. Significant challenges require innovative solutions, and I applaud our team for persistently thinking creatively as we tackle critical humanitarian issues on the ground.”

A new innovation in aid delivery is being used by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation)

GHF hopes to partner with additional NGOs to expand its delivery service. Its ultimate goal is to distribute over 20,000 boxes of aid – 1.2 million meals – each day throughout Gaza.

Despite negative feedback about the GHF model from the UNRWA and NGOs, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the important role the new aid system plays in getting Gazans fed.

In an exclusive interview with FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria,” on Wednesday, Netanyahu was asked whether he would agree to demands that the U.N. be placed back in charge of humanitarian aid distributions in Gaza. 

“We have our own distribution system that has been established to prevent Hamas from stealing the food that is supposed to go to the population,” Netanyahu replied. “They steal it, they take it for themselves and the remainder, they hike the prices and basically, extort the Palestinian population in order to use it to continue recruiting people to their war machine.

“Obviously, we don’t want to give up the thing that we began with, which is distribution that goes directly to the people.”

The U.S. State Department has already approved funding of $30 million for GHF.