The Real Story! Former commander of the British military forces in Afghanistan tells Arutz Sheva Hamas attacked the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's workers out of desperation as the aid it has provided to Gazans undermines Hamas’s existence
Col. Richard Kemp: 'GHF is a turning point in the war, critical in removing Hamas'
Former commander of the British military forces in Afghanistan tells Arutz Sheva Hamas attacked the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's workers out of desperation as the aid provided to Gazans undermines its existence.
Gary Willig
Jun 12, 2025 at 4:04 PM (GMT+3)
REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
Colonel Richard Kemp, the former commander of the British military forces in Afghanistan, spoke to Israel National News - Arutz Sheva about the work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and its impact on the course of the war in Gaza.
"The establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a turning point in the war," Col. Kemp stated. "It is a critical step towards eliminating Hamas from control in Gaza. Their most important means of controlling the population was dominating supply of aid, which was enabled by UNWRA and other humanitarian agencies who could not prevent supplies from being seized by Hamas. Aid was also a vital money-making machine for Hamas which has lost pretty much all other sources of funding to recruit and pay its terrorists. Hamas would take freely supplied aid and sell it to the civilian population at a heavy premium."
"So far, the GHF has delivered a remarkable 19 million meals, including nearly 2.6 million today alone. Some Gazans have commented that this is the first free aid they have received since the war began," he stated. He further noted that the GHF constitutes a "unique and innovative project. It is specifically tailored to deal with the unparalleled challenges that Gaza."
Last night, Hamas terrorists attacked a bus carrying GHF workers, killing eight Gazans who participated in the organization's humanitarian aid efforts. Col. Kemp believes that Hamas decided to attack aid workers because effective humanitarian aid undermines its rule in Gaza. "The effectiveness already of the GHF is demonstrated by Hamas’s threats and attacks against civilians seeking to make use of the system. We also recently saw Hamas murder eight local civilians working for the GHF, and wound and kidnap others. Hamas killing Gaza civilians is nothing new but this is a mark of their desperation. They know just how much the GHF system undermines their control in Gaza. We have seen some limited uprisings against Hamas in recent weeks and there is likely to be more of that as much of the population realises that the terrorists no longer have this stranglehold over them."
The GHF has faced criticism from the United Nations, other NGOs, and several countries due to its efforts to provide aid to Gazans directly while preventing Hamas from getting its hands on the aid. Col. Kemp is unimpressed by these criticisms. "The UN and NGOs have failed to get aid to the civilian population without it being hijacked by Hamas. They now fear that the GHF will demonstrate to them — 'the professionals' — how it should be done. The UN’s spurious utterings about the GHF breaching humanitarian principles are very much secondary concerns to actually feeding the people while destroying Hamas. Israel is not legally required to allow supplies into a war zone if it will be diverted for enemy use. In the GHF they have found an effective and indeed truly impressive means of lawfully achieving their objectives."
Israel's efforts to end Hamas rule in Gaza have not been limited to the new humanitarian aid mechanism in the Strip. In recent weeks, reports have emerged that Israel has been providing funds and supplies to local militias in Gaza that oppose Hamas, a move that has been controversial and criticized for allegedly elevating other extremist groups that could pose a threat to Israel in the future. Col. Kemp argued that while that risk cannot be discounted, it is a calculated risk given the potential benefits/
"The Israelis have been looking to find a way of empowering Gazan clans to resist Hamas. This has proved very difficult but is now becoming possible as Hamas is being increasingly ground down militarily and having control of aid wrested from its claws. Of course, arming local militias is not without risk and in the long term could backfire. But Israel is well aware of these risks, and this sort of action may prove to be an effective means of aiding the ultimate demise of Hamas," the Colonel stated.
The Real Story! Former commander of the British military forces in Afghanistan tells Arutz Sheva Hamas attacked the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's workers out of desperation as the aid it has provided to Gazans undermines Hamas’s existence
Col. Richard Kemp: 'GHF is a turning point in the war, critical in removing Hamas'
Former commander of the British military forces in Afghanistan tells Arutz Sheva Hamas attacked the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's workers out of desperation as the aid provided to Gazans undermines its existence.
Gary Willig
Jun 12, 2025 at 4:04 PM (GMT+3)
REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
Colonel Richard Kemp, the former commander of the British military forces in Afghanistan, spoke to Israel National News - Arutz Sheva about the work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and its impact on the course of the war in Gaza.
"The establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a turning point in the war," Col. Kemp stated. "It is a critical step towards eliminating Hamas from control in Gaza. Their most important means of controlling the population was dominating supply of aid, which was enabled by UNWRA and other humanitarian agencies who could not prevent supplies from being seized by Hamas. Aid was also a vital money-making machine for Hamas which has lost pretty much all other sources of funding to recruit and pay its terrorists. Hamas would take freely supplied aid and sell it to the civilian population at a heavy premium."
"So far, the GHF has delivered a remarkable 19 million meals, including nearly 2.6 million today alone. Some Gazans have commented that this is the first free aid they have received since the war began," he stated. He further noted that the GHF constitutes a "unique and innovative project. It is specifically tailored to deal with the unparalleled challenges that Gaza."
Last night, Hamas terrorists attacked a bus carrying GHF workers, killing eight Gazans who participated in the organization's humanitarian aid efforts. Col. Kemp believes that Hamas decided to attack aid workers because effective humanitarian aid undermines its rule in Gaza. "The effectiveness already of the GHF is demonstrated by Hamas’s threats and attacks against civilians seeking to make use of the system. We also recently saw Hamas murder eight local civilians working for the GHF, and wound and kidnap others. Hamas killing Gaza civilians is nothing new but this is a mark of their desperation. They know just how much the GHF system undermines their control in Gaza. We have seen some limited uprisings against Hamas in recent weeks and there is likely to be more of that as much of the population realises that the terrorists no longer have this stranglehold over them."
The GHF has faced criticism from the United Nations, other NGOs, and several countries due to its efforts to provide aid to Gazans directly while preventing Hamas from getting its hands on the aid. Col. Kemp is unimpressed by these criticisms. "The UN and NGOs have failed to get aid to the civilian population without it being hijacked by Hamas. They now fear that the GHF will demonstrate to them — 'the professionals' — how it should be done. The UN’s spurious utterings about the GHF breaching humanitarian principles are very much secondary concerns to actually feeding the people while destroying Hamas. Israel is not legally required to allow supplies into a war zone if it will be diverted for enemy use. In the GHF they have found an effective and indeed truly impressive means of lawfully achieving their objectives."
Israel's efforts to end Hamas rule in Gaza have not been limited to the new humanitarian aid mechanism in the Strip. In recent weeks, reports have emerged that Israel has been providing funds and supplies to local militias in Gaza that oppose Hamas, a move that has been controversial and criticized for allegedly elevating other extremist groups that could pose a threat to Israel in the future. Col. Kemp argued that while that risk cannot be discounted, it is a calculated risk given the potential benefits/
"The Israelis have been looking to find a way of empowering Gazan clans to resist Hamas. This has proved very difficult but is now becoming possible as Hamas is being increasingly ground down militarily and having control of aid wrested from its claws. Of course, arming local militias is not without risk and in the long term could backfire. But Israel is well aware of these risks, and this sort of action may prove to be an effective means of aiding the ultimate demise of Hamas," the Colonel stated.