Hamas exploits humanitarian aid

GAZA STRIP

- ORNA SAGIV

Across Gaza, humanitarian aid is urgently needed. Yet much of it fails to reach the people for whom it is intended. Instead, international assistance is routinely hijacked by Hamas — a reality enabled by the troubling complicity of the United Nations.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not simply a byproduct of war. It is, in many ways, a strategy. Hamas deliberately engineers civilian suffering to preserve its rule, gain international sympathy, and pressure Israel diplomatically. The UN, by continuing to operate through Hamas-controlled channels, not only fails to stop this abuse — it legitimises it.

Instead of being freely distributed, large portions of aid, mostly funded by Western nations, are diverted by Hamas. The group seizes shipments, hoards essential supplies, and resells them at inflated prices to desperate civilians. The profits fund Hamas' terrorist infrastructure, including salaries for fighters and weapons used not only against Israel but also to suppress dissent within Gaza.