Gazans Blame Hamas for Food Shortages

The UN and a host of agencies specializing in famine relief claim that Israel is deliberately starving the civilians in Gaza, while the Israelis blame Hamas, for stealing, hoarding, and reselling so much of the food aid meant to be distributed for free to Gazans. They can’t both be telling the truth. Now the Gazans themselves, suffering from malnutrition — which is not the same thing as enduring a “famine” — have had their say here: “Are Palestinians really facing a famine in Gaza? – explainer,” The Media Line, August 24, 2025:

The UN is preparing a declaration of famine in Gaza City, holding Israel responsible for the humanitarian crisis under its revised criteria, in spite of footage and testimony that Hamas is looting aid and manipulating media coverage.

The Media Line’s reporter has been speaking to Gazans throughout the war. The following is a sampling of their responses. TML was also in Gaza City and witnessed a large amount of humanitarian aid available, including an abundance of food, but offered at exorbitant prices.

The situation for those living several miles away in the refugee camps has been complicated by the lack of access to food available in other areas.

Who is to blame in Gaza?

Gazans described Hamas looting aid and reselling it. “First of all, we have no food, no water, none of life’s basics. And second, we never see any of the aid that comes in,” Ibrahim Atta Hawila of Jabalya said. “Hamas takes the aid. They don’t want anyone else to be in control. They seize it, store it in warehouses, keep what they want, and hand us lentils.”

Ali Khamis al-Tanini, also from Jabalya, expressed grief over the loss of three grandchildren as the crisis continues: “We can’t find food. I have heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. I can manage a day or two without food, but the children can’t. This little girl can’t eat, can’t even stand; she hasn’t had anything. Why did Hamas leave us with nothing while they eat lamb and beef?”

He added, “Hamas did this to us. We can’t even find a bite to eat. Not even lentils – the merchants have hidden those and everything else.”

Others voiced the same anger. Ahmad Fayad told The Media Line that his young daughter had gone 10 days without milk. “I hold Hamas responsible. They’re the ones who brought us to this point. I blame Hamas, and I also blame the Arabs – and even the Jews.”

Ne’ma Abu Saleh said, “Others are eating and stealing, while we sit here with nothing. I blame Hamas.”

He continued, “Let them release the hostages and stop dragging us into their problems. What do they want from us? Our homes are already destroyed.”…

COGAT emphasized that more than 10,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza since May and that the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed over 2.2 million relief packages.

Each relief package contains enough food for fifty meals. Since May, the GHF has delivered more than 100 million meals to Gazans. In addition, the Israelis have encouraged other countries to airdrop hundreds of tons of food into Gaza. The IDF makes great efforts to protect the food aid it has provided from being stolen and then resold by Hamas.

The IDF has deliberately halted its operations for several hours each day, so that Gazans can be assured they can safely take delivery of food without being caught in the middle of a firefight between the IDF and Hamas. It has also encouraged dozens of countries to make airdrops of food into Gaza. Many thousands of pallets carrying hundreds of tons of food, water, and other relief have been delivered by several countries. That much more of the food aid is now getting through to the Gazans for whom it was intended is shown by the steep drop in the price of food in Gaza. For example, A kilogram of flour fell from NIS 80–100 to NIS 18; a kilogram of sugar has dropped from NIS 300 to NIS 50; a kilogram of pasta has decreased from NIS 100 to NIS 10; a kilogram of rice was reduced from NIS 120 to NIS 30. Such steep drops confirm that much more food aid is now getting through, with much less being stolen, hoarded, and resold at exorbitant prices by Hamas.

Israel is not deliberately starving the Gazans. The Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has made tremendous efforts to feed people in Gaza, with more than 100 million meals delivered to Gazans since May. Those Gazans have testified as to the maleficent role of Hamas in stealing so much of the food aid. Just look again at what those ordinary Gazans — Al-Tanini, Abdul Rahim Bakr, Ibrahim Atta Hawila, and many others — have been saying, denouncing Hamas for their misery. For these Gazans there is no doubt who is to blame. It is Hamas that is making their lives miserable, Hamas that has been stealing, hoarding, and reselling food aid at exorbitant prices. Shouldn’t the international media be reporting on what they have to say?