He also said it was a “difficult decision” to

“Humanitarian aid is more complex than food rations in a box that you pick up once a month,” said Gavin Kelleher, who worked in Gaza for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Aid boxes can weigh more than 100 pounds, and transportation within Gaza is limited, in part because of shortages of fuel.Experts say Israel is concerned that if Hamas seizes aid, it will then make the population dependent on the armed group in order to access critical food supplies. It could use income from selling the aid to recruit more fighters, said Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at two Israeli think tanks, the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute.

Palestinians struggle in a crowd as they try to receive donated food at a distribution center in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)Palestinians struggle in a crowd as they try to receive donated food at a distribution center in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)As aid groups push back against the idea of Israel playing a direct distribution role within Gaza, Israel has responded by exploring the possibility of outsourcing certain roles to private security contractors.

The aid groups say they are opposed to any armed or uniformed personnel that could potentially intimidate Palestinians or put them at risk.In the notes seen by AP, aid groups said a U.S.-based security firm, Safe Reach Solutions, had reached out seeking partners to test an aid distribution system around the Netzarim military corridor, just south of Gaza City, the territory’s largest.

Aid groups urged each other not to participate in the pilot program, saying it could set a damaging precedent that could be repeated in other countries facing crises.

Safe Reach Solutions did not respond to requests for a comment.MEXICO CITY (AP) — All of a sudden, women contacting one of the biggest sources of information about abortion in

through the encrypted messaging app WhatsApp were met with silence.The nongovernmental organization’s business account had been blocked. Weeks later, a similar digital blackout struck a collective in Colombia.

Across the Americas, organizations that guide women seekingin various countries are raising alarm, decrying what they see as a new wave of censorship on platforms owned by