It seems like almost every other day, we hear reports of more death and violence in Gaza, this time directed at Palestinians simply trying to access humanitarian aid. Aid distribution has been a central issue throughout this war. Yet despite 1,863,357 tons of aid entering Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, Palestinians continue to go hungry and remain desperate for food.
The world is loudly decrying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the widespread malnourishment among civilians. But no one seems willing to address the operational and political obstacles preventing aid from reaching those in need. No one is calling out Hamas terrorists for threatening Palestinians who attempt to seek aid outside of their control (a deliberate effort by the terror group to maintain its monopoly over aid). If Israel cannot be blamed, then media outlets and social justice activists will say nothing.
Now, the crisis in Gaza has escalated to the point where even attempting to collect food has become life-threatening. Just this past Sunday, reports stated that over 65 Palestinians were killed while trying to access food from a UN convoy at the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza. Hamas claims that over 800 Palestinians have been killed at or near aid distribution sites. While Hamas is by no means a reliable source, these numbers point to a serious and under-examined issue: we must investigate what is truly causing these deaths – and how to prevent them.
Instead, many international aid agencies and bad-faith actors are using these incidents to smear and discredit the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
We already know that Hamas, often aided by UN agencies, has weaponized humanitarian aid. It steals and resells supplies to the Palestinian population at exorbitant prices, then uses the profits to fund and recruit terrorists. Israel's Channel 12 reported that Hamas made half a billion dollars from reselling aid, and The Washington Post recently published an exposé on Hamas's deteriorating financial position due to its inability to maintain control over and profit from that aid. Palestinians who refuse to comply with Hamas's grip on the aid economy risk being threatened, detained, or even executed.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was established in February 2025 as a US and Israel-backed nonprofit, created to replace the deeply compromised UN-led aid infrastructure. By establishing secure and independent distribution channels, GHF has already delivered more than 85 million meals to Gazan civilians, significantly weakening Hamas's control over humanitarian resources.
Local Gazans have openly stated that "Hamas sees aid as its most important currency." In response, Hamas has gone into overdrive to sabotage GHF, seeing it as a direct threat to its grip on the population. Hamas has now begun deploying the same tactics it uses against Israel: sending armed operatives disguised as civilians to instigate chaos at aid sites, causing stampedes where desperate civilians are trampled, stabbed, or killed.
Just yesterday, Hamas terrorists were filmed parading Gazan civilians in nothing but their underwear, punishment for the "crime" of seeking food at GHF distribution points. Eyewitnesses and sources report that Hamas is detaining, humiliating, and abusing those who dare to seek help from GHF.
The world is enraged by the famine in Gaza, so where is the outrage over this?
It's not just silence. These very agencies are actively refusing to work alongside GHF. The United Nations has condemned GHF's methods and repeatedly insisted that it alone has the "expertise" to deliver aid, despite its long track record of allowing Hamas to loot supplies and employing individuals affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Several UN employees were even involved in the October 7 massacre, with video evidence showing UNRWA staff kidnapping the body of former hostage Yonatan Samerano. Even World Food Programme (WFP) Chief Cindy McCain has publicly acknowledged a "full-blown famine" in Gaza. According to GHF, she and her team have repeatedly ignored offers of collaboration, despite holding multiple meetings with GHF staff.
Let's be clear: this is not a defense of any operational or logistical failures that may have contributed to deaths at aid sites. Cindy McCain told CNN that the WFP was granted clearance by the IDF to enter Gaza, but as thousands of desperate civilians approached, Israeli troops allegedly opened fire, which resulted in multiple deaths. The IDF responded by saying that warning shots were fired after a threat was identified, and that the incident is still under review. Their preliminary findings suggest that the reported death toll does not align with their intelligence. Another tragic example occurred the previous Sunday, when an Israeli airstrike (intended for a different target) missed, killing ten civilians, including six children, who had been waiting to fill water containers.
Israel is not above criticism. Mistakes like these must never happen, and these tragedies warrant full visibility and accountability. But for anyone paying attention, it's clear: both Hamas and the UN benefit from the instability, violence, and deaths at aid sites. Outlets like Al Jazeera, AP, and Sky News are refusing to report that it is Hamas operatives (embedded among civilians) who are orchestrating much of the violence to undermine GHF and reassert control over Gaza's aid economy.
As of last week, thousands of pallets of aid were waiting inside Gaza for the UN and other agencies to distribute. Over 700 trucks were left undelivered, not because of Israeli blockades, but because conditions on the ground remain unsafe due to Hamas threats, looting, and mob violence.
Palestinians are suffering because Hamas has turned humanitarian aid into a weapon, a tool of control, profit, and punishment. Aid that could be saving lives sits idle, while chaos erupts around it, engineered by terrorists exploiting desperate civilians to manufacture tragedy. And yet, much of the international community remains silent (or worse, complicit), blaming Israel for every death while ignoring the calculated sabotage carried out by Hamas and, too often, facilitated by the UN.
If the world truly wants to alleviate suffering in Gaza, then the conversation must change. We need honesty about who is obstructing aid, who is endangering civilians, and who is profiting from Gaza's misery.
Protecting Palestinian lives begins with protecting the integrity of humanitarian aid. That means standing up to Hamas, reforming the UN's role, and supporting independent and secure aid initiatives like the GHF. Anything less isn't just negligence, it's complicity in the suffering of the very people the world claims to care about.
