FIRST ON FOX – In a war-torn region, where corruption and violence frequently dictate access to food, one woman embarked on a mission to defy the prevailing system.
While much of the world had deemed northern Gaza inaccessible, Sarah Awaidah, a 30-year-old resident of east Jerusalem, along with her team, established a vital pathway. Operating under Mena Aid, a regional coalition partnered with the Multifaith Alliance (MFA), and in cooperation with Israeli authorities, Awaidah developed a system that successfully moved hundreds of trucks laden with food and supplies into Gaza. This approach circumvented both Hamas and private contractors who had turned the scarcity of food into a lucrative enterprise.
The outcome was the feeding of over 100,000 families, but at a severe personal cost: her own safety. “I never imagined that establishing a secure, independent humanitarian route would jeopardize my life,” Sarah Awaidah revealed to Digital in an exclusive interview conducted from a safe house in Israel.
“After transporting 346 trucks of aid between September 2024 and February 2025, we assisted 100,622 families,” Awaidah stated. “We chose to escalate distribution on June 30, 2025, during a period when pervasive looting, disorder, and numerous ground obstructions made it impossible for anyone else to deliver goods into Gaza.”
Through Mena Aid, Awaidah’s team devised an alternative method for delivering food and essential provisions.
A reliable logistics firm was responsible for transporting goods from the port of Ashdod to the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings. Inside Gaza, another logistics partner managed internal transport, while Awaidah’s own personnel, coordinating in real-time with Israel, monitored every shipment.
“Once the aid enters Gaza, it is collected by another trusted logistics partner and escorted by our own team members.
“Our teams are present during the offloading process and accompany the aid from the crossing to secure storage facilities. Within these warehouses, distribution commences immediately, with the goal of delivering all goods on the same day, or within two to three days at the very latest. Nothing is permitted to remain stagnant.”
This stringent level of oversight enabled them to achieve what few others could: reaching areas where residents had not received a consistent supply of staple foods for many months.
Her achievement brought to light a grim reality—an economy where hunger itself had become a profitable business.
“Many private sector businesspeople, some affiliated with Hamas and other political factions, attempt to exploit aid to amass millions,” she explained. “Due to the severe shortage of goods and exorbitant prices, some pilfer aid and sell it on the market. Others endeavor to seize control of supply routes to resell the goods.”
According to Awaidah, her team’s success posed a direct threat to those profiting from scarcity. By saturating the market with free provisions, they not only fed families but also significantly reduced the prices demanded for essential items like sugar and flour.
“If there’s no sugar in Gaza, and we introduce it for free, they can no longer sell it at outrageous rates,” she affirmed. “Thus, we became an obstacle for them.”
Attempts were also made to disrupt these private-sector schemes by shutting down routes that facilitated commercial profiteering. While this helped curtail some corruption, it simultaneously increased the dangers faced by the remaining humanitarian channels.
“The private sector’s operations were obstructed, prompting those who lost their profits to intensify their efforts to threaten and infiltrate us,” she stated. “They could not control our operations, so they tried to sabotage it—and me.”
The threats against her emerged swiftly. “I began receiving death threats, not only from Gaza but also from the West Bank… heartbreakingly, some originated from individuals I once trusted.”
One of the most painful betrayals, she recounted, came from someone close to her. “I even discovered that I was in a relationship built on deception,” she said. “That person was part of a group aiming to exploit the aid operation, and he also tried to manipulate me. But I remained resolute. I ensured he, and others like him, never gained access to it. Now, my life is at risk because I refused to allow the private sector to hijack aid for commercial gain or permit political actors to bend it to their objectives.”
For Awaidah, the families she assists serve as her motivation to persist. “We developed a distribution model based on verified beneficiary lists, employing ID checks to guarantee fair and respectful access to food,” she elaborated. “People queued calmly and orderly, even under impossible circumstances. That is something the media seldom portrays—the dignity and patience of the people.”
In the last month alone, her group has delivered 75 trucks, with another 112 en route from Ashdod. Daily, she remains committed to her mission, even as the threats intensify.
“What wounded me most wasn’t the threats from strangers—it was the realization that people I considered close were involved,” she confessed. “It’s simpler to combat external adversaries. But when it emanates from your inner circle, it cuts deeper. Nevertheless, this only confirms that what we are doing is correct. If they are so enraged by this, it signifies that the mechanism we constructed is effective. It means it’s secure. It means they failed to find a way to manipulate it, so they resorted to trying to break me instead.”
She acknowledges the dangers. Yet, for her, the alternative is worse. “I will not cease. And they will not stop me,” she declared. “I will continue delivering aid to those who need it, regardless of the threats. That is my pledge.”
For Awaidah, confronting corruption has come at a considerable personal expense. However, for the families in Gaza who have benefited from her food distributions, she has already achieved what once seemed impossible: securing a fair share of assistance, without any hidden costs.