Up First from NPR
New Gaza Aid Group Faces Criticism, Harvard President Speaks Out, DEI Rollbacks
Tue, 27 May 2025
Israel has lifted its restrictions on humanitarian aid. A new U.S.-aid group is now preparing to bring food to Gaza, where hunger is widespread. But the UN and other groups have raised questions about this new entity. The Trump administration has targeted Harvard University over a number of issues. Steve Inskeep sat down with Harvard President Alan Garber. And thousands of positions in the area of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) have been eliminated across corporate America.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Carrie Kahn, Reena Advani, Pallavi Gogoi, HJ Mai and Lisa Thomson. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What is the current status of humanitarian aid in Gaza?
Humanitarian aid is once again getting into Gaza.
After blocking aid for months, Israel lifted its ban last week. But there are questions about a new U.S.-backed aid group. What do we know about this group?
I'm A. Martinez. That is Michelle Martin. And this is Up First from NPR News. The Trump administration has targeted Harvard University policies, but its president, Alan Garber, says it's about something bigger. There are people who would like to see these universities brought down. Steve Inskeep spoke with Garber, and he'll tell us what he's learned.
And diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are being eliminated across corporate America. That has led to thousands of layoffs. Where do we go from here with DEI? Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force showing up in your everyday life. Powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR.
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Chapter 2: What is the controversy surrounding the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation?
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A new group backed by the U.S. is beginning to bring food to Gaza where hunger is widespread and extreme.
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Chapter 3: Why are DEI programs being eliminated in corporate America?
But the group The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is facing suspicion and growing criticism from the U.N., which is running a separate effort to bring aid to Gaza. The group's own director resigned, saying the program is not humanitarian.
Israel says this program, as well as its intensified airstrikes on Gaza, are key to its overall strategy to defeat Hamas. With me now to tell us more about this is NPR's Daniel Estrin. He's on the line from Tel Aviv. Welcome, Daniel. Thanks for joining us.
Thank you, Michelle.
First of all, what food is getting into Gaza right now?
Israel started letting in limited quantities after a nearly three-month total ban. There was intense pressure from the U.S. to let food in because of malnutrition and warnings of a famine. But just this effort to get a little amount of food into Gaza has been chaotic. The United Nations World Food Program delivered flour and supplies to bakeries.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of Israel's aid strategy for Gaza?
And just a couple of days ago, they were overwhelmed by hungry crowds and looters. There were reports of a shootout and the bakery shut down. And aid officials I'm speaking with are concerned that this could be a preview of what's to come as this new U.S.-backed group gets ready to deliver food to big crowds of hungry people.
So tell us more about this U.S.-backed group and the controversy surrounding it.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a new entity. It involves American contractors. And instead of having food distributed in hundreds of points across Gaza, this group is going to be restricting that to four new zones with Israeli soldiers guarding the perimeter and private contractors giving out boxes of food to families once a week. And
It says that it's begun distributing its first food boxes at one site yesterday, and it's going to be ramping up activities. But all the major aid groups in Gaza and the United Nations are refusing to cooperate. Jake Wood is the U.S. Marine veteran who directed the group. He abruptly resigned just as they were getting started. He said the plan cannot follow principles of humanity and neutrality.
And there really is not a lot of transparency about this group, Michelle. A private U.S. security company run by a former CIA officer is involved. It's posted a job posting online saying they'll train people on the job. And the group won't say where its funding is coming from. Israel's opposition leader is alleging that Israel is secretly funding the group.
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Chapter 5: How is Harvard responding to the Trump administration's actions?
So, so many questions about this group that aren't being answered, but the U.S. and Israel are backing it. So tell us more about that. Like, why is that? What's the goal here?
It's really an idea that was devised by Israeli military veterans since the early days of the Gaza War to separate civilians into guarded zones to feed those civilians and to starve Hamas. Now, Israeli officials have also said publicly that the aim here is to get Palestinians to move south near Egypt as a step toward moving people to other countries.
Israel's allies in Europe say that would be forcible mass displacement and they oppose it. And Hamas is warning Palestinians not to take food from this new U.S.-backed group. So it puts Palestinians in a really difficult position. They're starving. They're telling us that some would refuse to take part and others, they're desperate and they would go get that food.
So before we let you go, can you briefly update us on ceasefire negotiations? Sure.
There does seem to be some movement toward a temporary ceasefire and a hostage deal. There's been a flurry of statements from Israel and Hamas yesterday and today. An Israeli negotiating team is expected to be in Cairo today, but it is too soon to be optimistic.
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Chapter 6: What does Alan Garber say about the future of education amidst political pressure?
That is NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Daniel, thank you.
You're welcome.
The president of Harvard University is defending his decision to sue the Trump administration twice.
Harvard sued once when the Trump administration cut off billions of dollars of research grants and contracts. The university sued again late last week when the administration banned it from hosting international students. A judge temporarily blocked that, so foreign students stay for now. President Alan Garber spoke about this in a video interview with Stavinsky.
We need to be firm in our commitments to what we stand for. And what we stand for, I believe, is education, pursuit of the truth. When we fail in that, then we can expect to be attacked.
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Chapter 7: What challenges does Harvard face regarding international students?
And Steve is on the line with us this morning to tell us more about his conversation with President Alan Garber. Good morning, Steve. Good morning, Michelle. So Harvard certainly is being attacked. How does the president of Harvard see this ongoing battle with the White House?
Well, both the Harvard lawsuit and Alan Garber contend the administration is going after something bigger than just international students. Garber says he doesn't fully know the motives, but he does know some conservatives want to reshape elite higher education over issues like diversity, equity, and inclusion.
And that is why, insofar as there are people who would like to see these universities brought down in some sense... I think that their fire is misdirected because we have a common interest in making the nation and indeed the world a better place.
In this case, Michelle, the Department of Homeland Security says it banned international students from Harvard because the school blatantly refused to demand to give information about them. Garber insists Harvard gave information and DHS lashed out anyway. And Harvard describes that as well as the cutoff in funding as an effort to gain power over a private school.
Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the country. Because after all, the research funding, it's not a gift. The research funding... is given to universities and other research institutions to carry out work that the federal government designates as high-priority work.
Shutting off that work does not help the country, even as it punishes Harvard, and it is hard to see the link between that and, say, anti-Semitism.
He mentioned anti-Semitism. That's certainly something that President Trump has been talking about even as recently as yesterday. Harvard has been criticized by statements made by some students after the October 7th attacks in Israel. How does President Garber respond to that?
He accepts a lot of that criticism. The president himself is Jewish. He says some students felt shunned on campus if they didn't take what was seen as a proper view of Israel. He's trying to correct that.
Okay, but what about that? So there is a broader conservative critique. What does he say about that?
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