A leading international consulting firm played a pivotal role in shaping a so-called aid initiative aimed at relocating Palestinians from Gaza.
Over the span of seven months, the firm developed financial models to support a “postwar reconstruction” project known internally as “Aurora.”
Aurora is the codename for a project involving a US consulting firm, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), working on aspects of the “postwar situation in Gaza.”
More than a dozen consultants were directly involved in the work, which included discussions at the highest levels of company leadership.
The project forecasted the displacement of over half a million Palestinians, offering relocation packages of $9,000 per person, amounting to nearly $5 billion in estimated costs.
Although the firm later distanced itself from the initiative and dismissed two senior partners involved, internal documentation revealed substantial engagement.
The company was also linked to a newly established “humanitarian foundation” (GHF) and a related security firm active in Gaza.
That foundation now operates four distribution sites across the enclave, guarded by Israeli forces and American private contractors, and functioning outside traditional humanitarian norms.
Since its launch in May 2025, these distribution centers have become flashpoints. More than 600 Palestinians have been killed at the sites while attempting to access aid.
The foundation received $30 million in funding from the U.S., though details surrounding its financial structure remain opaque.
ICYMI: An Associated Press report reveals leaked footage US-Israeli-backed ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ sites. Two US security contractors say live rounds and stun grenades were used on Palestinians at the food distribution points. pic.twitter.com/r5Ie4tQ5sx
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 6, 2025
International bodies and humanitarian organizations have refused to cooperate, with the United Nations describing the foundation as a front for military objectives.
The consulting firm claimed that its leadership was repeatedly misled about the scope of its involvement and emphasized that the project violated internal policies. It issued a statement rejecting the work outright and asserting that the lead partner had gone against company directives.
Meanwhile, legal experts continue to raise alarms about the broader implications. Plans to forcibly transfer Palestinians from occupied territory—regardless of the framing—are widely viewed as contraventions of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Amid mounting international condemnation, the initiative now stands as a stark example of the intersection between privatized aid operations, military agendas, and displacement strategies under the guise of humanitarian relief.
The number of Palestinians who were killed while seeking aid at the so-called aid distribution sites has now reached 743, in addition to at least 4,891 wounded.
This year alone, the Israeli army has killed more than 6,780 Palestinians, including 1,856 children, 676 women, 334 elders and 39 journalists, in addition to wounded dozens of Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has killed more than 57,338 Palestinians, including at least 17,131 children, 10,190 women, 4,147 elders, 256 journalists, 203 UNRWA workers, and 113 Civil Defense, and wounded 135,957, largely children, women and elderly, across the devastated coastal enclave.
