Humanitarian Aid Enriching Hamas

Following the major incident on Saturday 16th November in which an aid convoy of 109 trucks was looted, resulting in the loss of 98 trucks, sources tell i24 News that as many as 170 out of 200 trucks have been looted in recent days.

Civilians in Gaza say systematic theft is part of Hamas’ strategy for retaining control over the incoming aid, and hence control over the Gaza population.

Mekorot, the National Water Company of Israel, says many of the thieves belong to gangs that operate under Hamas’ influence and receive financial rewards for their role.

The overall result is that Hamas profits greatly from selling essential goods to the ordinary people of Gaza at highly inflated prices – prompting the anger seen in recent interviews.

A report in May 2024 by UN Watch revealed that UNRWA staff are among those taking part in the thefts. Staff who were looking to simply serve the people of Gaza reported the thefts out of frustration that colleagues were doing this and getting away with it. Anyone who reported the problem was apparently moved to a different role, or even falsely charged with wrongdoing.

A September report by Israel’s Channel 12 claimed that Hamas had already profited by at least 500,000 dollars from humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip. With around 200 aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip daily, at that time, the report said it had become “the main oxygen pipeline for the terrorist organization.”

Instead of repeatedly accusing the Israelis of starving the people of Gaza, it is time for the international community to recognize the widespread corruption in the governing organisations and be more careful about the abuse of the humanitarian aid they supply.

This report by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs accuses the United Nations of staying silent when it knows what is happening.