Desperation Turns Deadly as Chaos Erupts at US-Backed Aid Center in Gaza as Starving Civilians Risk Everything for Food. In one of the most harrowing scenes yet of Gaza’s deepening humanitarian crisis, thousands of desperate Palestinians overran a US- and Israeli-backed aid center in Rafah on Tuesday. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), already mired in controversy, attempted to distribute food in a militarized and heavily surveilled setting triggering chaos, stampedes, and reported deaths. Eyewitnesses described heartbreaking scenes of people climbing fences, dodging warning shots, and trampling each other in a frantic race for food. As starvation looms across the enclave, many say they had no choice but to risk their lives.