JERUSALEM / GAZA CITY — July 26, 2025
In a significant admission, senior Israeli military officials have acknowledged that they found no evidence that Hamas systematically stole aid from the United Nations during the ongoing war in Gaza. This revelation undercuts one of the primary justifications Israel has long cited for its severe restrictions on humanitarian assistance to the embattled Palestinian territory.
“For months, we and other organizations were dragged through the mud by accusations that Hamas steals from us,” said Georgios Petropoulos, a former U.N. official in Gaza who coordinated aid efforts with Israel for over a year during the conflict.
The New York Times reported that two senior Israeli military officials, along with two others involved in humanitarian coordination, confirmed that U.N.-led aid distribution was largely effective and less vulnerable to diversion by Hamas than other smaller organizations. They spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.
While Israel has repeatedly claimed that Hamas diverts aid to control Gaza’s population or support militant operations, internal assessments by both Israeli and U.S. officials found no evidence to support those allegations regarding the U.N. aid system. A recent U.S. government analysis, cited by Reuters, similarly concluded that there was no systematic theft of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies by Hamas.
Mounting International Pressure
With food insecurity at catastrophic levels in Gaza, over 100 aid agencies and human rights groups recently issued an urgent warning about “mass starvation,” urging Israel to lift its restrictions on aid access. A joint statement from the European Union and 28 countries, including Israel’s close allies like the United Kingdom, France, and Canada, condemned what they described as Israel’s “drip-feeding of aid” to Gaza’s more than two million residents.
The humanitarian crisis has intensified in recent months, with Palestinian doctors reporting that growing numbers of patients—particularly children—are dying from malnutrition and starvation.
Israel Shifts Strategy But Blames Others
Despite mounting international criticism, Israeli officials have continued to blame Hamas and the United Nations for the deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
“There is no famine caused by Israel,” said government spokesperson David Mencer earlier this week, shifting responsibility to “poor coordination” by the U.N.
Still, Israel announced on Saturday night a resumption of aid airdrops via military aircraft and a renewed commitment to allow aid convoys to move more freely along “designated humanitarian corridors.” However, aid agencies expressed skepticism, noting that previous corridors were poorly coordinated and largely ineffective.
Foreign-led airdrop efforts, which had been halted due to previous incidents—some aid packages reportedly landed in the sea or on Israeli territory, while others fatally struck civilians—will also be resumed in coordination with the Israeli Air Force.
Deadly Humanitarian Access
Tragically, the new system of aid delivery has brought deadly consequences. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 1,100 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to collect food handouts. Many of these deaths were reportedly caused by Israeli gunfire aimed at dispersing large crowds. While the Israeli military has said that troops fired warning shots, eyewitnesses and rights groups contest the proportionality of the force used.
A Crisis Fueled by Misinformation?
For almost two years, the Israeli government has undermined the U.N.’s humanitarian operations in Gaza, often portraying the organization as either ineffective or infiltrated by Hamas. Yet according to the same senior Israeli officials who spoke to The New York Times, the U.N.’s operations were among the most secure and efficient, due to their ability to manage their supply chains and supervise distributions within Gaza.
While some smaller aid groups may have suffered from theft by local actors, including Hamas, no evidence points to a systemic diversion of U.N. aid—the very narrative that justified restrictions which now exacerbate a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe.
With more lives hanging in the balance each day, critics argue that Israel’s reliance on unproven claims has had devastating consequences. The international community continues to call for unimpeded humanitarian access, transparency, and accountability to alleviate Gaza’s suffering.
